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THE 



PRAYER-MEETING 



ITS IMPROVEMENT. 



BY 



REV. LEWIS O. THOMPSON, 

PASTOR SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, PEORIA, ILL. 

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY 
REV. A. E. KITTREDGE. 



" L-et all things be done unto edifyir 

r COa 



QhICAGO: 

W. G, HOLMES, 

77 MADISON STREET. 

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COPYRIGHT, 1878, BY 

W. G. HOLMES. 






« <&* GRES 






SKEEN & STUART, 

PRINTERS, 

77 MADISON ST., CHICAGO* 



TO THE CONGREGATION 

OF THE 

PEORIA, ILL., 

THIS VOLUME 

IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY 

THEIR PASTOR. 



PREFACE. 



This book is designed as a go-between, between pastor and peo- 
ple, to call their combined attention to some hints and principles 
that would enlarge the efficiency of the prayer-meeting, and to as- 
sure those to whom public speaking is a burden, that their experi- 
ence is common to the majority of mankind, and should give them 
no uneasiness, beyond spurring them on until they acquire the habit 
of extempore speech. 

If the prayer-meeting is to be more than a mere side-show to 
the church, if it is to rise into one of the great departments of suc- 
cessful Christian work, there must be as much thought, prayer and 
effort given to it, as to either of the Sabbath services or the Sabbath 
school. What is needed in many cases is such a method for its 
conduct, and such a hearty co-operation of all in that method, as 
shall make the prayer-meeting, both in interest and attendance, an 
undoubted success. 

May the Lord bless for good whatever of truth these chapters 
contain, and make them instrumental in stirring up the zeal of the 
churches to untiring labor and faithful prayer in the advancement 
of His cause. 

Go little book — if God shall be pleased to commission thee — 
from church to church as an evangelist in the cause of the Prayer- 
Meeting and its Improvement. 

LEWIS O. THOMPSON. 
Peobia, III. 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter Page 

I. The Prayer-Meeting as a Subject of Study, 11 

II. The People's Meeting, 16 

III. The Need of Preparation, ------ 22 

IV. The Daily Cultivation of Piety, - 33 

V. The Topics, ----- 42 

VI. The Topics Illustrated, ------ 49 

VIII. One Method for the Selection of Topics. 67 

IX. Bible Readings for the Prayer-Meeting, - 75 

X. Illustrations of Bible Readings, - 82 

XI. A Plan for Each Meeting, 93 

XII. Variety in Successive Meetings, ----- 104 

XIII. The Importance of the Prayer-Meeting, - - 110 

XIV. How to Make Prayer-Meetings Interesting, - - 116 
XV. Uniform Topics, -------- 122 

XVI. Steps Towards Uniformity, - 131 

XVII. Helps to Speaking in Public, 145 

XVIII. How to Secure Attendance, ------ 159 

XIX. How Prayer-Meetings are Kept at a White Heat, 168 

XX. Treatment of the Monthly Concert, - 172 

XXI. Laying Oct Work, 176 

XXII. Hints New and Old, 186 

XXIII. Daily Prayer-Meeting Topics, - 196 



INTRODUCTION. 



It is impossible to over-estimate the value of the prayer- 
meeting, as it stands related to the life and usefulness of the 
Church of Christ. In fact, no other service can be compared 
with this in importance — not even the Sabbath preaching, nor the 
instruction in the Sunday-school — for without a live prayer-meet- 
ing the church will be spiritually cold, the Sabbath services will 
be formal, and the children will be fed with husks instead of pro- 
visions from the Master's table. 

The weekly prayer-meeting is the pulse of the church, — one of 
the most encouraging signs of the times, in the religious world, is 
the increased interest manifested by pastors and churches in this 
topic, and the new life and power which now are found in many 
of these hallowed circles of united prayer and praise. Some of us 
can remember the prayer-meetings of our childhood, when the num- 
ber present ranged from ten to twenty or thirty, and most of these 
were the female members — when the leader occupied most of the 
hour in cold, doctrinal remarks, and then remarked : " Brethren 
the meeting is open," after which came the solemn pauses, only 
broken by this and that good deacon taking pity on the meeting, 
and making a few forced and uninteresting remarks. Oh ! how 
cold those meetings were ! cold enough to freeze up any longings 
to be a Christian, in the breast of a sinner who might have 
chanced to happen in. How we children used to dread being com- 
pelled to attend, preferring even to go to bed earlier than usual, 
rather than to sit for an hour in that spiritual refrigerator. Such 
prayer-meetings are, we trust, seldom founa now, for with the 
increased interest in the Sabbath-school, the weekly meeting has 
been steadily growing in importance, in the estimation of Chris- 
tians of all denominations. 

Now, upon whom shall we lay the blame for a lifeless prayer- 



INTRODUCTION. Vll. 

meeting ? The safest course is to distribute it all round, for 
usually pastor and church members are all at fault — the pastor for a 
lack of preparation, the people for a lack of co-operation. By 
lack of preparation we do not mean as regards careful thought 
upon the chapter to be read, for we hold most firmly that one of 
the chilling influences in such a meeting is the lengthy and 
elaborate " opening " by the pastor, leaving nothing for the 
brethren to say, and dampening all enthusiasm to speak. The 
pastor should simply open the meeting, and read the chapter, say- 
ing nothing, unless it be a single thought to give direction to the 
thoughts of others. His remarks will come in better at the close> 
when he can occupy five minutes in gathering up the suggestions 
which have been uttered, and, perhaps, add one or more prac- 
tical lessons not mentioned by others. 

Then the pastor's opening remarks are apt to be more theologi- 
cal than experimental, and they serve to seal the lips of those 
whose theological education may be deficient, but whose experi - 
ence of the preciousness of Christ may be very rich. 

Then, again, the pastor has an opportunity twice on the 
Sabbath to instruct the church on theological truths, but the 
prayer-meeting belongs peculiarly to the people, — it is their 
hour, not his, and therefore, it is stealing from them their 
property, when one-half of the time is occupied by the pastor, 
who should simply lead and control the exercises. But the 
pastor may prepare for this meeting by a wise selection of two or 
three persons, to whom he will state the chapter to be read, so 
that they will be ready to speak as soon as he takes his seat, thus 
avoiding pauses which kill a prayer-meeting, and making sure the 
interest of the remarks made. It may happen that these selected 
speakers will have no chance to speak — so much the better — but 
they will be ready to fill any possible gap, and their earnest words 
will kindle an inspiration in other hearts and will open other lips- 
In this selection, the same persons should not be often called on ; 
and there should be a difference of age between them, so that the 
young, as well as the older, will feel that the pastor looks to 
them for the support of the meeting. The wisdom of such a 



Vlll. INTRODUCTION. 

course will be apparent when we remember that our business 
men come to the evening meeting from the cares and anxieties of 
the counting-room, and it can hardly be expected that they will 
be ready to speak at once on spiritual matters, unless they have 
been able to prepare their minds, by a knowledge of the passage 
to be read. 

Then, in regard to the exercises of the hour, we often err in 
running our prayer-meetings in a stereotyped form so that they 
become dry and uninteresting — the same thing week after week. 
There should be plenty of singing,— not an entire hymn, but a 
verse thrown in between the prayers and remarks. Our people 
love to sing, and while but few may be able to speak, all can 
praise God in song. Dispense with the instrument, if possible, 
but if it is used, do not let precious moments be occupied by play- 
ing the melody all through, or by interludes, which are always a 
serious infliction on the people. Insist that the remarks be very 
brief, not more than three minutes, and if the brother is burdened 
to say more, let him keep it carefully for another time. Three 
minutes are long enough for the utterance of one thought, and 
this is all that any one person should give in a meeting of only 
one hour's duration. Have more praying than talking. Many 
a so-called prayer- meeting is no prayer-meeting at all, but is 
all talk, talk, talk — and it is no wonder they are dull and 
powerless. The purpose of these gatherings of the church is to 
gain spiritual strength, and prayer is the grand channel through 
which this strength can be received ; and, therefore, make the 
hour full of prayer — short prayers, earnest, simple prayers but a 
great many of them. But we are exceeding the limits of an 
introductory article, and close with urging upon all who love the 
Church of Christ, and desire its spiritual health and purity and 
power, to love the prayer-meeting, to seek its increasing interest, 
so that it shall be the grand spiritual armory of believers, and the 
very gate of heaven to many, many souls. 

May this little book have a blessed mission among the 
churches ! 

A. E. KITTREDGE. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING 

AND ITS IMPROVEMENT. 



CHAPTER I. 
The Prayer-Meeting as a Subject of Study. 

How to improve the prayer-meeting may not seem 
so serious a question to our large and prosperous city 
churches. Evidently it is easier for them to conduct 
the meetings to general satisfaction and edification 
than for some of the smaller country churches. They 
have a membership running up to many hundreds, 
and out of that number many who are fluent speakers, 
both by culture and profession; whilst in the country 
the conditions are less favorable, both because the 
membership is often below a hundred, and there are 
not in that number more than half a dozen who are 
in the habit of taking a part in the exercises of the 
meeting. Now, under such circumstances, the charge 
and improvement of the prayer-meeting becomes a 
serious question. 

It is almost an axiom that the successful prayer- 
meeting will make the successful church; and it is 
equally true that if the prayer-meeting is not a success, 
it can be made so. There are principles which apply 



12 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

to its conduct, just as well as to successful business or 
school-keeping. As a matter of course, I would look 
for no success which is not connected with the Bible 
and with Bible methods, and which does not depend 
upon the Holy Spirit for its inspiration. 

It may be true, also, that the precise method which 
would insure success to one church, might not, with- 
out some modification, do the same for another. 
There are differences in culture between different 
congregations. But whatever the method pursued, it 
should be such, that while it is continuously improv- 
ing the prayer-meeting, it shall at the same time im- 
prove the intellectual and spiritual condition of the 
church. 

The prayer-meeting is all too generally a place to 
which many laymen go " with fear and trembling." 
With many it is a comfortless thing; for they are 
fearing all the time that their, pastor will see them and 
call upon them: "Well, Brother Blank, how is it 
with you? I hope you will testify. Haven't you got 
a word to say ? Or, will you not lead us in prayer ? " 
I think I know why there are more women to attend 
prayer-meeting than men. They do not have to 
speak, and for them, doubtless, there is peace and 
comfort in the exercises. I have known men who 
have sat through a prayer-meeting in a sort of cold 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 3 

chill, with nerves unstrung, wishing the minister 
would omit them; looking solemn and anxious, until 
the benediction descended upon them with a joy 
almost indescribable. There are men so constituted 
that a call upon them to speak or pray seems to send 
every idea they ever had to the four quarters of the 
compass; and when, in obedience to the call, they do 
arise, though it be the coldest kind of weather, the 
sweat starts and runs in rivulets. " Why, sir," said 
one of the best men in the world, " if I was to under- 
take to repeat the Lord's Prayer when called upon in 
meeting, I don't think I could do it; and yet I know 
it as well as my own name." A man of a very ner- 
vous and sensitive temperament would almost as soon 
have a tooth pulled as to attend prayer-meeting and 
sit through the terrible ordeal. In such cases, attend- 
ance upon a prayer-meeting becomes more a duty 
than a pleasure. 

Nor is it anything against a man that may be bash- 
ful, timid, or unused to public speaking, if his first 
trials should prove failures. There have been able 
men and profound thinkers who have been unable to 
think and speak fluently before an audience. Indeed, 
it is a matter of history that some of the most brilliant 
orators in their " maiden speeches " have completely 
failed. 



14 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

And then, besides this, there is another thing to be 
borne in mind, and that is this: the public does not 
have the same knowledge of our mental states that 
we ourselves possess. Some men judge of the effect 
of their remarks or prayers by their own feelings, and 
because these are depressed, they think they cannot 
speak to edification, and so had better keep still. 
Their thoughts, while they are on their feet, seem to 
be flying about in utter confusion, like flakes in a 
snow-storrn, and they feel that others must be as pain- 
fully conscious of their agitation as they themselves 
are. 

How, then, can we assist such men as these to take 
part with greater pleasure to themselves and profit to 
others ? How can we assure the timid that practice 
will soon confirm their nerves, and give them a more 
orderly command of their thoughts while upon their 
feet, and in the presence of .the terrifying audience ? 
How can we conduct the meetings so as to make 
them comfortable for all, and cause them to abound in 
spiritual refreshment and Christian fellowship? How 
can we discover just the method for our particular 
charges, that will wake up the mind of all, stimulate 
Bible reading and research, as well as stir up their 
zeal to renewed activity in all departments of Chris- 
tian work? How can Ave make available for the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 5 

good of the church just such talent as our members 
now possess ? How can we secure the attendance of 
all the membership upon the prayer-meeting? In a 
word, how can we make our prayer-meeting " The 
Model Prayer-Meeting?" 

The cause of Christ and the welfare of the church 
at large emphasize these and related questions, and 
demand from every minister that he make their solu- 
tion the subject of special study, and the improve- 
ment of the prayer-meeting a matter of prayerful and 
untiring endeavor. The following pages are offered 
as a series of hints in this direction. 



■■ 



CHAPTER II. 

t 

The People's Meeting. 

The prayer-meeting on some evening of the 
week is the people's meeting. The Sabbath is the 
day for the ministration of the pastor. They each 
have their day. If it is not wise for the people to 
conduct the services of the Sabbath, neither is it 
wise for the pastor to monopolize the exercises of 
the week-day meeting. If it is true that the active 
piety of a church rises no higher than it manifests 
itself in the prayer-meeting, so that here, as on a 
barometer, all changes in spiritual life are faithfully 
recorded, then certainly too much attention cannot 
be given by both pastor and people to the conduct 
of the prayer-meeting. 

The people need just such a meeting as the week- 
day meeting is, and ought to be, and what it can be 
made to be, if it is not already. There is so little 
place given in our churches on Sunday for the par- 
ticipation of the people in its services; and hence so 
many have come to regard the day as an entertain- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 7 

ment in eloquence and music. If these are wanting, 
if they cannot hear a fine sermon from one end of 
the church, and be soothed by sweet music from the 
other, they will not go to church — no, not they. 
But offer them a lecture and a concert agreeably 
combined, they may consent to go. Where this 
idea prevails, the people have forgotten that on 
Sunday they are to publicly appear before God, to 
render unto Him worship, prayer, praise and 
thanksgiving, with the confession of their sins and 
the earnest supplication for new supplies of grace; 
and all this they can do, though the sermon be 
never so feeble and the singing never so poor. 
But the people need a meeting in which to tell their 
experience, comfort one another, pray for one 
another, and, where the case requires it, bear one 
another's burdens. Life in the market and the 
domestic circle, in the shop and the store, in the 
kitchen and the school-room, in the street and the 
field, at home and abroad, has its trials and burdens, 
its anxieties and sorrows, its temptations and defeats, 
as well as its joys and triumphs. Griefs are lessened 
and joys are multiplied when others share them 
with us. 

11 Thoughts shut up want air, 

And spoil, like bales unopened to the sun." 



I 8 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

How precious, then, is the privilege that admits us 
to the circle of congenial friends and steadfast com- 
panions on the road from earth to heaven. Here 
they meet to " rejoice with them that do rejoice, 
and weep with them that weep ; " and so, by mutual 
vows and endeavors and sympathies, fainting hearts 
are made resolute, and the tread of uncertain feet 
firm and victorious. 

4 'As bees mix'd nectar draw from fragrant flow'rs, 
So men from friendship, wisdom and delight," 

How eagerly the fainting Israelite gathered the 
freshly-fallen manna! With what alacrity did not 
the thirsty tribes bound forward as the majestic 
palm-trees arose before them in the distance — seventy 
palm-trees, as they clustered around the twelve 
springs of Elim, and fed their roots around these 
living fountains — how joyously, we may imagine, 
did not the air resound with shouts of "Water! 
water! there is water at the roots of the palm- 
trees! " When the traveler is about to sink beneath 
the heat and the thirst of his journey through the 
arid wastes, he sees just before him the green oasis, 
and starts forward with renewed hope to reach its 
shade and refreshment, When the summer's heat 
is oppressive, and to breathe is burdensome, how 
gladly mankind seeks the cooling beach of lake or 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 9 

sea, or the green swards, the cooling glens, and the 
shady trees, rich in leaf and fruit, as these may be 
found amid the lawn, the field and the forest. 

Ought not the prayer-meeting on the midday of 
the week to be all this to the Christian, who, having 
set his face Zionward, is making the journey to the 
celestial city; yes, more than all these to him, whose 
feet cannot rest till they walk in safety thy golden 
streets, O Jerusalem! Ought not the prayer-meeting 
to be the tree with fruit and foliage — the common on 
which feet are cooled as they walk and sink into 
the grassy carpet — the oasis with its refreshment — 
Elim with its seventy palm-trees and twelve foun- 
tains of water that never run dry — the company of 
friends where words may be opened to the sun, 
where criticism shall be disarmed, and what we 
desire to say shall be better understood than what we 
do say, if for any reason our words are inadequate ? 

And just an instance to show what freedom and 
friendliness characterize the prayer circle may not 
be out of place here. Not long ago I attended a 
prayer meeting in Chicago. Both pastor and people 
were strangers to me. As the meeting was nearing 
its close, a convert got up to speak. He was full of 
love and zeal, as all converts are, but he was evid- 
ently unused to public speaking. His hands were 



20 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

kept flying constantly and all about his head as 
if fighting an imaginary wasp's nest, whilst his 
body kept bobbing up and down all the time in a 
ludicrous manner. Most certainly he satisfied that 
rule of eloquence which makes it consist in a 
threefold action; and besides all this, his English 
was quite broken, and so rapidly spoken that it was 
difficult to catch word and sense. Did they laugh? 
Not exactly; a smile or two may have been sup- 
pressed, bwt that was all. Anywhere else he would 
have been greeted with uproarious laughter. Here 
however, we all felt like going up to the brother 
to thank him for his remarks and bid him God-speed 
in his efforts. It is more fit that criticism should 
sleep in the prayer circle than the members. Who- 
ever feels called upon to pray or speak, may do so 
in the feeling that all will be kindly received, and 
that nothing but generous sympathy awaits him. 

The prayer-meeting, then, is the people's meeting, 
and they support its exercises. Here they witness 
for Christ; here they renew their consecration; here 
is the place where much good may be done and 
much good received by words of encouragement and 
sympathy; and as such the people should relish 
its opportunities and not neglect its privileges. Had 
not Thomas been absent from just one meeting of 
the disciples, he would have received, eight days 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 2 1 

earlier than he did, the proof he required to save him 
from skepticism; and had he absented himself con- 
tinuously, he might have died in unbelief. 

People are to put themselves in the way of 
receiving the blessings of God; for the church in its 
ordinances is the channel of grace, and our spiritual 
wants will be best ministered unto when we are 
most constant in our attendance upon all the meet- 
ings. And it may prove in our case as in that of 
Thomas, that the meetings we miss are the very 
ones which contain the thoughts, the prayers, the 
songs, and the experiences for lack of which our 
souls are famishing, and we are subjected to those 
temptations which weaken rather than confirm our 

faith. 

"I've found a glad hosanna 

For every woe and wail; 
A handful of sweet manna 

When grapes of Eshcol fail ; 
I've found a Rock of Ages 

When desert wells are dry ; 
And after weary stages, 

I've found an Elim nigh. 

My Saviour, Thee possessing, 

I have found the joy, the balm, 
The healing and the blessing, 

The sunshine and the psalm; 
The promise for the fearful, 

The Elim for the faint; 
The rainbow for the tearful, 

The glory for the saint!" 



CHAPTER III. 
Preparation. 

The pastor does not presume to enter the pulpit 
Sabbath after Sabbath without proper preparation. 
He has a very low view of his duty, the dignity of 
the pulpit, as well as of the privilege and pleasure of 
preaching, who thinks anything is good enough for 
the pulpit, and is willing to rush before his people, as 
the horse to battle, with stray scraps of thought. 
When Dr. Beecher once preached to the students of 
Andover, and was asked how long it took him to 
prepare that sermon, he replied in his peculiar way, 
" Twenty years." The full sermon comes from the 
full preparation and years of study lying back of it. 

The pastor cannot rely upon inspiration to take 
the place of study, nor look for a miracle to supply 
him text and thought at the time he is to preach. 
It is true that the disciples were to take no thought 
as to what they should say when brought before 
magistrates, for in the same hour they should be 
told what to say. Emergencies and exceptional 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 23 

cases will often arise when the preacher will have to 
rely upon God for his sermon entirely; and then the 
sermon comes to him not as a substitute for his 
fidelity but in connection with it, and because more 
will be accomplished by it than by that which 
could have been premeditated. At one of the places 
in which Rev. C. C. Finney was holding revival 
services, an infidel club was formed, it is said, for 
the purpose of opposing Christian work. The 
leader was a physician, who, on one occasion, 
slipped into the church and seated himself in the 
choir. Mr. Finney, coming in, and, as usual, glanc- 
ing about his audience, saw this man, and at once 
changed his text, and preached that morning a 
powerful sermon on the plan of salvation, taking 
as his text: "For God so loved the world that He 
gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever be- 
lieveth on Him should not perish, but have ever- 
lasting life." In the afternoon the Doctor came 
again, and the sermon, on the text, " How shall we 
escape if we neglect so great salvation ? " seemed to 
be the logical sequence of the morning's sermon. 
In the evening the Doctor was again present, and 
the sermon was a conclusion of the whole matter, 
from the text, " But they made light of it." A lady 
spoke to the Doctor at the close of the service: 



24 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

"Doctor, you've heard the truth; now, are you 
going away to-night to make light of it?" "No, 
ma'am, I am not," was his reply. That night 
he tried to sleep, but at midnight rose and paced 
the room, until he cried to his wife : " Wife, I can't 
live so, and I won't live so." The next day he 
stood up in the meeting, his powerful frame quiv- 
ering with emotion, and said: "Look at me! 
What's this? It's God, and I'm a sinner! " Riding 
that day, he met one of his infidel friends on the 
road and stopped him. " Whedon," said he, "do 
you think there are any good men?" "Yes, of 
course I do." "Whedon, do you think all men 
are good?" "Yes, I do." "Whedon, don't you 
think there are some wicked men? " " No, I don't." 
"Whedon, you lie, and you know you lie;" and 
then the Doctor rode rapidly on." 

Now, as Mr. Finney was in the habit of going 
from place to place to labor as an evangelist, 
he no doubt had a number of sermons prepared 
for this especial work, and the inference is a 
fair one that these sermons had the logical sequence 
which study and perhaps previous use had given 
them, and having many arrows in his quiver, he 
would naturally select those that would be best 
adapted to reach certain persons in his audience. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 25 

The example of the disciples is exceptional, of 
course; for they had a particular promise to rely 
upon. In their missionary labors they would en- 
counter dangers and difficulties too great for human 
prudence and premeditation to remove, and there- 
fore the promise of the Holy Spirit to assist them 
gave peace and quiet to their minds, and sent them 
forward in their labors with hope and courage. 
God will supply all need in the hour of emergency; 
" for without Me ye can do nothing " — but God 
does not promise to do for us what He designs 
we shall do for ourselves. As relates to diligence, 
study and preparation, their need is well expressed 
in that Cromwellian motto, " Trust in God, but keep 
your powder dry." 

But as the prayer-meeting, in the main, is the 
people's meeting, it is hardly necessary to ask if 
they need preparation for its exercises? And to 
give this pointed application, we may ask ourselves, 
" For what purpose do we attend the prayer-meet- 
ing?" When we clearly understand its object, we 
shall better see to what extent preparation is neces- 
sary. 

This meeting is needed in order that the religious 
life of the church may find public expression by the 
people themselves. Soldiers come together that they 

3 



26 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

may drill and perfect themselves in the manual of 
arms. Soldiers who cannot execute the commands 
of the officer with alacrity and uniformity would 
make a sorry army, and but little headway against 
an enemy well-officered and in a state of splendid 
discipline. The people should come together, that 
like comrades they may stand shoulder to shoulder, 
and by the expression of their trials and victories, 
their confessions and their aspirations, and their 
words of prayer and praise, they may go through 
the exercises of the spiritual manual, and learn how 
good a thing fellowship is, and what a blessed 
privilege the communion of saints forms for us 
here below; and in thus sharing our experiences 
of joy and sorrow, of faith, hope and love, they 
may learn the better to keep step together in 
the Christian life, and make our conflict with 
the world, the flesh and the devil more victorious. 
The people need this meeting as an aid to growth 
in grace. The experience 'of every Christian will 
show that his seasons of most rapid progress in 
the Christian walk and in the attainment of the 
Christian graces coincide with the seasons when 
he was faithful in the use of means, regular in 
attendance upon the ordinances of God's house 
and the prayer-meeting, and when his voice was 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 2 J 

lifted up to praise God in company with his 
brethren. Times of backsliding and lukewarm 
indifference will be found to have been those in 
which he neglected the means of grace, and w^hen 
what he considered of more importance kept him 
from the prayer-meeting. Guerilla warfare does 
not equal that service which is regular and sys- 
tematic. 

The people need the prayer-meeting for the 
cultivation of the devotional spirit. Songs of praise 
acquire a power when tuned by many voices, and 
especially so if they are sung with the spirit 
and the understanding. Words of prayer, how- 
ever simple, if heartfelt, possess a reflex influence 
and a new power from the assenting presence of 
the brethren. When " amen," either audibly or 
silently, is added to the prayer, it becomes the 
prayer of all, and receives force from that very 
circumstance. God does not judge the prayer by 
the graces of rhetoric and the rules of grammar, 
but by its faith and sincerity. " Likewise the 
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know 
not what we should pray for as we ought; but 
the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with 
groanings which cannot be uttered." Words with- 
out heart in them, however eloquent otherwise, 



2 8 THE PRAYER-MEETING. ' 

never find their way to heaven, but rise about as 
high as the head. We are blessed in the attend- 
ance of those meetings — our faith is confirmed, our 
love is warmed, and our hope is encouraged — the 
whole life is progressively sanctified — which are 
marked by the absence of formal praise and stilted 
prayers. From such meetings, where our hearts 
have melted under divine love, where our souls 
have been refreshed with heavenly manna and 
water flowing from the living Rock, one does 
not think of rushing to places of frivolity and 
worldly amusement. 

When Moses was coming down from the mount 
where he had communed with God during forty 
days, and the wicked and thoughtless frivolity and 
idolatry of his people met his gaze, his soul was 
filled with righteous indignation, and the two 
tables of stone were dashed in pieces at his feet. 
The contrast was too great and too sudden — com- 
munion with God in its power and sweetness on 
the one hand, and gross superstition and naked 
idolatry on the other. 

The people need the prayer-meeting that they 
may have an opportunity, in the spirit of Heb. 
10 : 24, 25, to study each other with special reference 
to temperment and peculiarities, and that so they 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 29 

may be able more readily to provoke each the other 
unto love and to good works. Such provocation 
as shall make the fruit of the Spirit grow and ripen 
is not only permissible, but even commendable. 
The Christian is to regard his brethren as text-books 
for study, with the view of constantly improving 
them in the nurture of every needed grace and 
virtue. 

And if the pastor should ask, how can I do more 
than I am already doing, it might be suggested 
that he give a whole day to planning and preparing 
for each meeting. Monday is generally considered 
a " blue " day with ministers. It would seem that 
this day might be turned to good account in many 
ways. Suppose he spend this day in visiting his 
people, and following up a little the impressions 
produced by his Sabbath ministrations. He would 
receive many a stimulating word and suggestion 
that would help him in his work for the next Sab- 
bath; and while the iron is thus hot, he might make 
some good hits for the coming prayer-meeting, and 
get a limited number to promise and come especially 
prepared with reference to a given topic. As he 
visits from house to house there will arise special 
cases of spiritual need and sympathy ; formulate such 
cases as these and make each one the topic for special 



30 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

prayer. Ask some one to come and pray for one 
who may be sick; another one to pray for one 
peculiarly tempted; another to pray for himself that 
he may receive grace and strength to labor for the 
salvation of some friend with whom he may have 
especial influence. In this way not only particular 
cases of need in a congregation will be prayed for, 
and doubtless with the most beneficial results; but 
also new topics for special prayer will constantly 
arise to keep pace with the steady and healthy 
growth in grace of the whole church, and enlarge 
the sphere of its influence and usefulness. 

Finally, let each one that the pastor asks to take 
a part come early to the meeting, and as soon as he 
gets a chance, after the introductory services, arise 
and fir -ay, or offer remarks. In this way there will 
be a rapid movement in the meeting like the tramp 
of an army on the march, and with something of the 
rapid scenes which characterizes the Gospel of St. 
Mark who takes us from " the beginning of the 
Gospel of Jesus Christ " on until " the Lord was 
received up into heaven," in sixteen chapters. Upon 
such a church as this, — a church realizing that it is 
" not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit," 
and earnestly seeking to know the mind of the 
Spirit — God will pour, according to His promise, 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 3 I 

a burden of prayer, and guide it into such a path of 
success as shall keep it in constant revival. 

Now it may be that prayer-meetings are not 
more largely attended and more generally successful 
because both pastor and people allow them to take 
care of themselves, with the feeling that the odds 
and ends of thought — the apple-parings and peach 
stones — gathered from second-hand experience will 
be good enough for the week-day meeting. Life, 
experience, and the best thoughts from the history 
which each one is writing of himself is what w r e 
want for the prayer-meeting, and such songs as shall 
express our faith, love and aspiration. If this field is 
to bear a large harvest, it must be faithfully worked. 
He who spends the most time in the cultivation of 
his farm, who uses the best seed with a liberal sowing 
is the one that secures the best harvest and the 
largest income. Weeds are about the only things 
that need no cultivation. 

Nor should this chapter be closed without pre- 
senting the need of continuous preparation on the 
part of all. The people should be diligent and 
life-long students of the Bible that they may be 
accumulating a treasury from which, like the prudent 
housekeeper, to "bring forth things both new and 
old." They ought to be constant in the use of secret 



32 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

prayer, and all the stated means of grace which God 
has provided for the support and growth of 
spiritual life. " When thou wast under the fig* tree 
I saw thee."" They ought likewise to endeavor every 
day to lead a consistent and victorious Christian life. 
This will give depth and flavor to their experience, 
and make prayer and praise the joyful expression of 
their daily life. 

And when you go to the prayer-meeting go to it 
from your knees with the earnest petition that God 
will hear and answer. " Be filled with the Spirit." 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Daily Cultivation of Piety. 

There are some who seem to hate religion. They 
will not enter the Kingdom themselves, nor permit 
others to enter it, if they can prevent it by their 
words and opposition. There are some who seem 
indifferent about religion. It does not matter to 
them, one way or another, whether Christianity is 
true or false. Life in the present is so busy and so 
full of cares that if they can only make a living 
now, they will let the life in the hereafter take care 
of itself. They will run their chances. There are 
some who have a great respect for religion. They 
give liberally to the support of the Gospel. If their 
children are converted and unite with the church, 
they are glad. They know their children will grow 
up to be better men and women if they become 
religious. Such are like " Noah's carpenters," — they 
help to build the ark, but neglect to enter it them- 
selves. Some are willing that their wives shall be 
religious, but their own case is such they cannot 



34 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

attend to religion just now. They are in pursuit of 
wealth, or pleasure, or ambition. If they should 
become religious, it would require a change in their 
business; or if not that, at least a change in the 
manner of conducting it. For the present, you must 
have them excused. When they have a convenient 
season they will send for you. 

There are others who profess religion, but do not 
prosecute it with any zeal. Their religion is for 
Sunday. They attend church regularly, but when 
the doors of the church are closed, their hearts are 
closed also, and during the week they give themselves 
up to the worldly spirit. There are others who add 
company religion to this Sunday religion. Such are 
not anxious to entertain ministers or earnest. Chris- 
tians at their homes during the holding of religious 
meetings and conventions ; because this requires of 
them that they should have family worship morning 
and evening. But they are hospitable, and so, for the 
time being, they dust their Bibles, oil their knees, and 
kindle a fire ,upon the family altar. And there are 
others, also, whose religion is a proxy religion. They 
are reverential; they daily bend the knees at family 
worship, and are constant in attendance upon all the 
ordinances of God's house; but they never pray 
themselves. Others do the praying for them in the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 35 

family, in the prayer-meeting, and in the church. 
They may silently or audibly say " Amen," but 
as for themselves, they neither pray in public, in 
private, nor in secret. They are prayerless Christians, 

Why is it that religion is not relished more than 
appears to be the case? Why, in so many cases, is it 
that Christian life is so feeble? Is it because religion 
has come to be merely professional ? Let a physician 
be called, and though he be ever so kind and gentle, 
yet he is apt from long practice to look at the patient 
and his disease from a professional standpoint, rather 
than enter fully into sympathy with him as a man 
and a brother. 

During the late civil war it became my oppor- 
tunity, as a member of the Sanitary Commission, to 
attend upon some wounded soldiers, as they were 
being taken by steamboat from White House Land- 
ing, Va., to Washington. There were some fifteen 
of us to take care of 405 men. Two surgeons of the. 
regular army accompanied us. I became greatly in- 
terested in the case of a poor fellow whose wound 
was in a bad condition, and needed skillful and 
instant attention. I endeavored to get one of the 
doctors to do something for him. He came, and 
after making some experiments to ascertain the extent 
of the injury, he stated that he could not do anything 



36 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

for him, as he was in need of a particular instrument. 
You must wait till you get to Washington. Now 
there was something in the manner so heartless and 
indifferent that I was astonished. For myself, I could 
get no sleep during those sixty hours that we were on 
that boat. We who had volunteered to take care of 
those men, felt their sufferings to be a terrible strain 
upon our nervous system. We were unused to such 
sights and sufferings, and the amount of sympathy 
called for was almost more than we could endure. 

Now, it may be that something like this takes place 
in our religious experience. After a while we lose its 
early fervor. Our religion ceases to be new, fresh, 
emotional and inspirational; it becomes professional. 
I remember during a revival at college when I first 
began to feel the new life in its preciousness — in its 
fullness of promise, hope and inheritance — how near 
the Saviour seemed to be. ■ As I was going to my 
room after one of the evening meetings, everything 
appeared to be new. " Old things are passed away; 
behold all things are become new." It was a lovely 
evening. I looked up into the sky, and the stars 
were twinkling with a friendly lustre I had never 
noticed before. The thought that all these things are 
mine, because I am His, took possession of my soul. 
"All are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 37 

God's." If the child of nature in a moment of 
enthusiasm can say, as he looks up at the sun, its 
rays glittering from the leaves of the over- arching 
trees in the grove, " This is my air, my sunshine, my 
earth;" how much more truly may not the child of 
God, as he beholds the works of his Father's hand, 
exclaim, " My air, my stars, my earth! " 

Now, how can we return to a state like this of ten- 
der susceptibility, if we have lost it? I can never 
forget how deeply I was impressed, during my school 
days, by the example of a devout Christian, whose 
heart seemed so full of love, that he never could men- 
tion the name of the Saviour without a tear starting 
from his eyes and his lips quivering with emotion. 
How can we live so as to enjoy religion every hour 
of the day? Can the answer be otherwise than by 
the daily and careful cultivation of piety? Set apart 
half an hour every day for secret prayer and the 
devotional study of God's Word. I should like to 
ask for an entire hour; but I ask for half an hour in 
the hope that when that much has been given, the 
season will be so fully relished and found so precious 
that a full hour will be gladly taken. Such daily 
habit will prevent the religious life from becoming 
" stale, flat, unprofitable" and professional merely. 

Seek to be alone at such a time ; " When thou 



38 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast 
shut thy door, pray to thy Father, which is in 
secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall 
reward thee openly." And let it be the first half- 
hour in the day ; for " the morning hour has gold in 
its mouth." Let the first half hour of the day " be- 
fore food, before family, before daily avocation, be 
made sacred to the Lord." 

God has given us three most valuable gifts — -His 
Word, His Son and His Spirit. We need to study 
the Word, because the Holy Spirit uses that as an 
instrument to communicate God's Will, to convince 
and convert, and to edify and sanctify our " whole 
spirit, soul and body." The Holy Spirit glorifies 
Christ in the Word. We need to study it therefore 
and to pray over it. God is the object of our wor- 
ship, Christ is the basis of our worship, the Holy 
Spirit is the agency of our worship — our Guide, 
Teacher and Comforter — and the Word is the Instru- 
ment. And so the Word of God will furnish holy 
themes for the "secret hour." Like fuel cast upon 
fire, these will feed the flame of devotion, and cause it 
to glow with a steady light. 

And now the practice of spending such a season — 
the first moments of the day — in secret prayer and 
communion with God, has been a habit with many 
eminent 111211 and dsvotsd Christians. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 39 

" It is said of one of our most eminent statesmen, 
at a time when most responsible duties to the country 
rested on him, that his morning hour was always 
spent in imploring the help of the Great Ruler of the 
Nations. A distinguished judge acknowledged his 
success in his profession as owing to the hour he daily 
spent with God. General Havelock, though bur- 
dened with the care of the army during the terrible 
mutiny in India, managed to keep sacred for prayer a 
long time in the morning of each day. Other names 
might be added, as those of Bacon, and the great 
astronomer Kepler, and the historian De Thou, of 
whom it is related, every morning, he implored God 
in private to purify his heart, to banish from it hatred 
and flattery, to enlighten his mind, and to make 
known to him the truth which so many passions and 
conflicting interests had almost buried. This was also 
the custom of one, guided by the Divine Spirit, for 
David's resolution was : 4 My voice shalt thou hear in 
the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct 
my prayer unto thee, and will look up.' The testi- 
mony of that most godly man, Philip Henry, speak- 
ing of one of his studying days, was : ' I forgot, when 
I began, explicitly and expressly to crave help from 
God, and the chariot-wheels drove accordingly. Lord 
forgive my omission, and keep me in the way of duty!' 



4-0 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

What higher example and encouragement could we 
have for this practice ? " — Dr. Murphy. 

And there are those who do not find the morning 
season sufficient for the daily wants of the spiritual 
life, after such a practice has once become fixed. In 
the Methodist Church Block in Chicago, before the 
great fire, " there was a certain dark closet under a 
stairway, used for the storage of wood and coal," 
which, as every other nook and corner of the build- 
ing was occupied, Moody and his earnest co-laborers 
used as a closet for secret prayer. There, alone or in 
company, these devout Christians used to shut them- 
selves up, and while the great business world rolled 
around them, above and below, like the sea around 
Jonah, they held sweet communinon with their 
Lord. Rev. Chas. G. Finney states in his Auto- 
biography, that he discovered while a guest in the 
house of Anson G. Phelps, that this distinguished 
merchant of New York was in the habit of arising, 
after having taken a nap, to secretly hold commu- 
nion with his God. " Seven times a day do I praise 
thee," says the sweet singer of Israel. Three times 
a day did Daniel kneel in his chamber with his " win- 
dows open toward Jerusalem." Sir Thomas Browne 
wrote in his journal as an admonition to himself, " to 
be sure to let no day pass without calling upon God 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 41 

in a solemn-formed prayer seven times within the 
compass thereof: that is, in the morning and at night 
and five times between." 

Be sure to begin the day aright, and from such 
daily cultivation of piety and the devotional spirit, 
shall come the best preparation for all the active 
duties of life. By such a habit the heart will be kept 
in tune for every religious duty, and from its practice 
will grow such a relish for the services of the prayer- 
meeting as shall make the more special preparation 
for its exercises a joy, and not a vexatious burden. 

* ' More holiness give me, 

More strivings within ; 
More patience in sufF ring, 

More sorrow for sin ; 
More faith in my Saviour. 

More sense of his care ! 
More joy in his service, 

More purpose in prayer.' ' 



CHAPTER V. 

The Topics. 

But in addition to all this, it will be well to have a 
topic for each meeting, with reference to which the 
people as well as the pastor may make especial pre- 
paration. It should be our endeavor to make each 
meeting new, fresh and stimulating; both helpful and 
hopeful. Prayer-meetings have come to be so pro- 
verbially stale and unprofitable, because the excellent 
brethren who take part week in and year out repeat 
over and over the same remarks and the same prayers. 
The daily cultivation of piety will give depth and 
flavor to prayer and the religious life; and a given 
topic previously announced will afford the people an 
opportunity to arrange their thoughts with reference 
to it, and to select such things from their experience 
as shall illustrate the topic in an interesting manner 
and on the principle of unity. When the people 
assemble in ignorance of the subject and the line of 
thought to be presented, it is not to be looked for that 
all parts shall fit into their place, and tend to produce 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 43 

a deep and abiding impression ; or, indeed, that they 
shall speak at all to edification and to the point. Lord 
Nelson had a carefully prepared plan for the battle of 
Trafalgar, in which each ship had its place assigned 
in the line of action, and all together were so massed 
that they should form a wedge, and sweep right 
through the ranks of the enemy. As he planned, so 
it proved. The victory was decisive, and placed him 
in the front rank of great naval heroes. When the 
exercises are so arranged that they have plan and 
unity; when the chapter read, the hymns sung, the 
remarks made, and the prayers offered are so directed 
that they illustrate the given topic, and the special 
needs of the church, each part will take its place in 
the line to form the wedge, and no one will be able to 
go away and say the meeting lacked purpose, point 
and power. 

Nor will it be found an easy matter to select just 
the right kind of topics for the prayer-meeting. It . 
would not be surprising if ministers spent as much 
time over this as over selecting the subject and text 
for their sermons. In order to avoid this difficulty 
and the loss of time many have chosen the topics of 
the Sunday-school lesson, and made them the basis of 
their remarks. Much might be said in favor of this ; 
it has the advantage of system and publicity; and so 



44 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

gives opportunity to others beside the minister, to 
make intelligent remarks upon the subject. Speech, 
to be most profitable needs to be premeditated as to 
the substance of thought. Where both words and 
thought are extempore, unless the man is inspired for 
the occasion, it will be just as well if he kept silent. 
There is one part, being all unstudied, that requires 
no preparation — " you may do it extempore," for it is 
nothing but roaring, and though he " aggravate his 
voice," and roar as gently as the dove, or " 'twere any 
nightingale," in the prayer-meeting, it is out of place, 
and will hardly do any man's heart good or tend to 
edification. 

But the Sunday-school topics are selected more 
with reference to the wants of a school than the needs 
of a prayer-meeting and daily Christian life. If there 
is a general attendance on the prayer-meeting and the 
Sunday-school — as is desirable — it takes away from 
the freshness of the theme, and the interest in it also, 
to have the same topic presented twice, and, in con- 
nection with the teachers' meeting, thrice in the same 
week. The topics more especially needed for the 
week-day meeting are such as grow out of the trials 
and burdens of daily life, and should be so adapted to 
them as to confer sympathy, bestow strength and 
patience, and promote growth in grace. The prayer- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 45 

meeting should give scope for such themes as are par- 
ticularly adapted to edify the body of Christ, to con- 
firm faith, to quicken love, to illustrate doctrine, and 
to stimulate life in its various fields of useful labor. 
Hence the more appropriate themes are such as make 
plain our duty to God, to self, and to fellow- man. 
The topics should be selected with reference to the 
guidance of experience along " the path of the just," 
which " is as the shining light, that shineth more and 
more unto the perfect day." 

And topics might also be selected occasionally to 
bear some relevancy to the progress of time and the 
changing seasons. Thus, for a New Year's week we 
might have a dedication service, on some such theme 
as this, " Choose ye this day whom ye will serve," or 
" Mary's Choice," Luke 10: 38-42. For a Spring ser- 
vice we might choose a topic like this, " Seed Time," 
Gal. 6: 7; or we might arrange for a "Floral Ser- 
vice," just as Spring is passing into Summer, and is 
now standing in its pride and glory — " Consider the 
lilies of the field, how they grow," Matt. 6:28. " A 
study on flowers" of this kind would teach valuable 
lessons as well as give suitable opportunity to pray 
for a blessing upon the sowing of the seed and 
the increase of the material harvest in its season. A 
promise meeting might be arranged for some time 



46 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

during the progress of Summer, and opportunity 
given for rehearsing the promises of God and their 
unfailing fulfilment in our experience. " A harvest 
festival " would be appropriate for the Autumn and 
the ingathering of grain and fruit. These would find 
their counterpart in the garniture of life's spiritual har- 
vest, 2 Cor. 9 : 6, and Gal. 6 : 8. Themes kindred 
to this would be, " The Summer is ended," " Fruits 
meet for repentance," " The fruit of the Holy Spirit," 
or " The fruit of the lips." And on Thanksgiving 
week it would be very appropriate to have a general 
praise meeting, in which the people may express what 
they have to be thankful for; and such a meeting on 
their part would prove a most excellent preparation 
for the public observance of the Day of Thanksgiv- 
ing. And for the close of the year we might have a 
remembrance meeting, " Hitherto hath the Lord 
helped us," 1 Sam. 7: 12. It would be very profitable 
to review the signal providences of the year, 
and apply the teachings of age to renewed fidelity; 
for time is short and its flight rapid. Would not 
such a meeting as this deepen our appreciation of the 
90th psalm, and especially that devout petition, " So 
teach us to remember our days that we may apply 
our hearts unto wisdom ! " Topic would suggest 
topic as the seasons come and go, and in this way we 
could appropriately arrange for evenings in which to 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 47 

illustrate the various teachings of nature as they bear 
upon life. We should find occasions in this way to 
use the great phenomena of nature, and use them as 
the Bible uses them, to illustrate life and its meanings. 
In this way mountain, river, sea, storm, wind, rain, 
dew, ice and snow could be used for the topics at such 
times as would render them appropriate, but not so 
frequently as to destroy freshness and render their 
teachings " stale and unprofitable." 

And this matter of set topics has already had the 
trial of years and has been found most expedient by 
those churches which have used them. There is be- 
fore me among others the list that was used by the 
Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis, Ind., dur- 
ing the last year of the pastorate of Dr. J. L. Withrow. 
We insert it at the close of this chapter, both to com- 
mend the method and to show the nature of the 
topics, that in this way our hints may have the 
benefit of example as well as precept. 

TOPICS. 

Jan. 6. Daily Benefits, .... Psalms 68 : 19 

13. Suffering due to Sin, .... John 5 : 5 

20. Refusing and the Results, . . . John 5 : 40 

27. Born Again, J°h n 3 : 3 

Feb. 3. Evidences of Sonship, . . Rom. 8:14 

10. Resist the Devil, .... James 4 : 7 

17. Meaning of Col. 2: 10 

24. Retribution, Rom. 2 : 6 

Mar. 2. Sparing Begets Sparseness, . . .2 Cor. 9 : 6 



4 8 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 



Mar. 9. Lying, . . . . . Col. 3 : 9 

16. God Forgetting Sins, .... Heb. 10 : 17 

23. Christ in Providence, . . . Heb. 1 : 3 

30. Number of the Blest Unknown, Matt. 14 : 14 
April 6. Inspiration of the Scriptures, . . 2 Tim. 3:16 

13. Searching the Scriptures, . . . John 5 : 39 

20. Meaning of Hab. 2: 4 

27. Cleansing Blood, ... 1 John 1 : 7 

May 4. The good times of the Ungodly, . Psalms 73 : 5 

11. Christ, the Leader, . . . . Is. 55 : 4 
18. The Intercessor, .... Heb. 7:25 

25. Believing all the Bible, . . . John 5 : 47 
June 1. Union of Faith and Everlasting Life, John 6 : 47 

8. Faith Kneeling at His Feet, . . John 11 : 32 

15. How? 2 Cor. 5:21 

22. Meaning of Repentance, . . . Acts 2: 38 

29. Sublimity of Unselfishness, . . 2 Cor. 12 : 15 
July 6. Genuine Love, .... 1 John 3: 18 

13. The Sin Bearer, 1 Peter 2 : 24 

20. Believing vs. Working, . . . Rom. 4 : 5 

27. The Living Fountain, . . . Rev. 7 : 17 
Aug. 3. Evils of Indulgence, . . 1 Cor. 9: 25 

10. Refuge from Storm, . . . . Is. 25:4 

17. Friend of Friends, . . . Prov. 18: 24 

24. Explain . . . . . . Rom. 6 : 1 

31. Saved by Hope, .... Rom. 8: 24 
Sept. 7. Putting on Christ, . . . Rom. 13 : 14 

14. Safety, . ... Psalms 91 : 1 

21. All-Seeing Eye, .... Prov. 15 : 3 

28. Full Satisfaction, ,. . . . Psalms 17:15 
Oct. 5. In what Sense? .... Rom. 6:18 

12. Foolishness of Preaching, . . 1 Cor. 1 : 18 
19. Better than he Asked, . . 2 Cor. 12:9 

26. Crowned with many Crowns, . Rev. 19:12 
Nov. 2. Consulting Others' Weakness, . . Rom. 15: 1 

9. Relation of Believers to the Saviour, Col. 2 : 7 

16. Right kind of Righteousness, . . Phil. 3 : 9 
23. Thanksgiving, . . . . Eph. 5 : 20 

30. Harmonize, . . . Gal. 6 : 2 with 6: 5 
Dec. 7. Gracious Promise, Mai. 4 : 2 

14. The Unborn Herald, . . . Mai. 4 : 5 

21. The Star, . . . . . Matt. 2 : 10 

28. The End Psalms 39: 4 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Topics Illustrated. 

It will prove quite stimulating, and an aid to the 
fuller understanding of Scriptural truth, to draw 
from the Bible suitable illustrations of the changing 
seasons, and of striking events in the history of our 
church, our community, our state, or our land, as 
these are providentially unfolded. A few examples 
have been selected as hints in this direction. 

/. The Opening of the Tear. 
(Luke 13 : 9). 

In countries where the vine is cultivated, not by a 
few wealthy proprietors with a view to an export 
trade, but by each family on a small scale, with a . 
view to the food of the household, to plant some 
trees of other kinds within the same enclosure is the 
rule rather than the exception. Within this favored 
spot the owner is willing to make room for one or 
more fig-trees, for the sake of the fruit, which in 
such favorable circumstances he expects them to bear. 

When the tree had reached maturity, the owner 



50 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

expected that it should bear fruit; but that year, the 
next, and the third it continued barren. Having 
waited a reasonable time, he gave orders that it 
should be destroyed. 

The dresser of the vineyard, as is quite natural, has 
become attached to the tree, and when the sentence 
is pronounced against it, a sentiment akin to compas- 
sion springs up. " Woodman, spare that tree," is a 
species of intercession thoroughly natural and human. 
A very significant exemplification of this parable is 
found in an Arabian receipt for curing a palm-tree of 
barrenness : " Thou must take a hatchet, and go to 
the tree with a friend, unto whom thou sayest, I will 
cut down the tree, for it is unfruitful. He answers: 
Do not so, this year it will certainly bear. . But the 
other says, It must needs be — it must be hewn down; 
and gives the stem of the tree blows with the back 
of the hatchet. His friend, restrains him, crying, Nay, 
do it not, thou wilt certainly have fruit from it this 
year; only have patience, and be not over hasty in 
cutting it down; if it still refuses to bear fruit, then 
cut it down." 

The lesson of this parable is easily read; and when 
read, it is unspeakably solemn and tender. God is 
the owner of the vineyard and the fig-tree within its 
walls. Abraham's seed, natural and mystical, are the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 5 I 

fig-tree ; and the Mediator between God and man is 
the dresser of the vineyard, the intercessor for the 
barren tree, The essential circumstances involved 
in the fact that the fig-tree grew within the vine- 
yard are: that in soil, south exposure, care and 
defence, it was placed in the best possible position 
for bearing fruit. The one fact that it was planted 
in the vineyard indicates, and was obviously intended 
to indicate, that the owner had done the best for his 
fig-tree. 

The three kinds of works whereof Scripture speaks 
may all be illustrated from this parable: First, good 
works (John 6 : 28; Tit. 2:7), when the tree having 
been made good, bears fruit after its own kind; then 
dead works (Heb. 9: 14; Gal. 2: 16), such as have a 
fair outward appearance, but are not the genuine out- 
growth of the renewed man — fruit as it were fastened 
on externally, alms given that they may be gloried 
in, prayers made that they may be seen; and lastly, 
wicked works (1 John 3: 12; Rom. 13: 12; Gal. 5:19), 
when the corrupt tree bears fruit manifestly after its 
own kind. Here it is those good fruits that are 
sought, but of which none are found. And on that 
command, " Cut it down," St. Basil beautifully bids 
us note the love which breathes, even in the threaten- 
ings of God, " This," he says, " is peculiar to the 



5'2 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

clemency of God toward men, that He does not bring 
in punishments silently or secretly; but by His 
threatenings first proclaims them to be at hand, thus 
inviting sinners to repentance." That grand old 
proverb, which so finely expresses the noiseless 
approach of the divine judgments : " The gods have 
feet of wool," true for others, is not true for those 
who have a listening ear. Before the hewing down 
begins, the axe is laid at the root of the tree. 

Christ, as the great Intercessor, pleads for men, yet 
not that they may always continue unpunished in 
their sins, but only that their sentence may for a 
while be suspended; so to prove whether they will 
turn and repent. The means of grace shall be multi- 
plied, which is so often granted to men and nations 
in the last period of their probation, and just before 
those means are withdrawn from them forever. 
Thus before the flood they had Noah, before the 
great catastrophes of the Jewish people some of their 
most eminent prophets, and before its final doom, the 
ministry of Christ and of His Apostles. This last is 
intended here; that richer supply of grace, that freer 
outpouring of the Spirit, which should follow on the 
death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord. So 
Theophylact: "Though they were not made better 
by the law and the prophets, nor yielded fruit or 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 53 

repentance, yet I will water them by my doctrines 
and passion; it may be that they will then yield fruits 
of obedience." To us entering upon a new year the 
door of repentance and improvement is left open 
still : " If it bear fruit, well. If not, how shall we 
escape, if we neglect so great salvation ? " 

— Adapted from Arnot and Trench. 

II. Seed-time. The Sower, the Seed and the Soil. 
(Matt. 13 : 1-10). 

This parable represents the reception of the Word 
of God in the world, and presents the causes of 
failuie, and the requirements that are necessary in 
order to secure an abundant and fruitful harvest. 

The causes of failure are: 

1. There is a want of spiritual perception. Some 
of the seed fell by the wayside. There are persons 
whose religion is all outside — it never penetrates 
beyond the intellect. Duty is recognized in word — 
not felt. They are regular at church, understand the 
catechism and articles, consider the church a most 
venerable institution, have a respect for religion, but 
it never stirs the deeps of their being. They feel 
nothing in it beyond a safeguard for the decencies 
and respectabilities of social life. Truth of life is 
subject to failure in such hearts, because it is trodden 



54 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

down. Wheat dropped by a harvest-cart upon a 
road, lies outside. There comes a passenger's foot 
and crushes some of it; then wheels come by, — the 
wheel of traffic and the wheel of pleasure, — crushing 
it grain by grain. And again, the seed finding no 
lodgement, disappears. The fowls of the air come 
and devour it. This is the picture, not of thought 
crushed by degrees, but of thought dissipated, and 
no man can tell when or how it went. 

2. There is want of depth in character. Some 
fell on stony ground, that is, into a thin layer of soil 
upon a bed of rock. Shallow soil is like superficial 
character. You meet such persons in life. There is 
nothing deep about them ; it is all on the surface. 
The superficial servant's work is done, but not 
thoroughly — lazily, partially. 

The superficial workman's labor will not bear 
inspection. The very dress of such persons betrays 
the incomplete character of their minds. With such, 
religion shares the fate of everything else — it is 
taken up in a superficial way. The seed sprang up 
quickly; and then withered away as quickly, because 
it had no depth of root. There are easily moved 
susceptibilities that play upon the surface of the soul, 
and then as rapidly pass away. In such persons 
words are ever at command — voluble and im- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 55 

passioned words. Such a man came to the Master, — 
running, kneeling, full of warm expressions, engaging 
gestures, and professed admiration, — he was ready 
for anything. Well, go sell what thou hast. If you 
wish to know what hollowness and heartlessness are, 
you must seek for them in the world of light, elegant, 
superficial fashion, where frivolity has turned the 
heart into a rock-bed of selfishness. 

3. Impressions come to nothing when the mind is 
subjected to dissipating influences and yields to them. 
There is nutriment in the ground for thorns, and 
enough for wheat ; but not enough in any ground 
for both wheat and thorns. The heart has a certain 
power of loving, but love, dissipated on many objects, 
concentrates itself on none. God or the world, not 
both. " No man can serve two masters." " If any 
man love the world, the love of the Father is not in 
him." u The cares of this world, and the deceitful- 
ness of riches, choke the word !" There is a way 
God has of dealing with such, which is no pleasant 
thing to bear. In agriculture it is called weeding, 
and in gardening it is done by fruning. 

In the second place, the permanence of religious 
impressions requires three things : 

1. An honest and good heart is indispensable. 
Earnestness is necessary for real success in everything. 



56 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

The miser sacrifices all to his single passion ; hoards 
the pennies and dies possessed of wealth. Time and 
pains will do anything. " The kingdom of heaven 
suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." 
Sow for time, and probably you will succeed in time. 
Sow the seed of Life, — humbleness, pure-heartedness, 
love, — and in the long eternity which lies before the 
soul, every minutest grain will come up again with an 
increase of thirty, sixty, or an hundred fold. 

2. Meditation is necessary. They keep the word 
which they have heard. In meditation on religious 
truth, if it be first loved, it will recur spontaneously 
to the heart. And as it is dwelt on, it receives 
innumerable applications ; is again and again brought 
up to the sun and tried in various lights, and so 
incorporates itself with the realities of practical 
existence. Meditation is done in silence. By it we 
renounce our narrow individuality, and expatiate into 
that which is infinite. There is a divine depth in 
silence — we meet God alone. 

3. Endurance likewise is necessary. " They 
bring forth fruit with patience." The patience for us 
to cultivate is to bear and to persevere. However 
dark and profitless, however painful and weary 
existence may have become ; however any man, like 
Elijah, may be tempted to cast himself beneath the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 57 

juniper- tree and say, "It is enough: now, O Lord !" 
Life is not done, and our Christian character is not 
won, so long as God has anything left for us to suffer, 
or anything left for us to do. Patience is also 
opposed to that restlessness which cannot wait. This 
is one of the difficulties of spiritual life. We are 
disappointed if the harvest do not come at once. 
From all this it is evident that the causes of 
failure cannot be attributed to the seed nor to the 
sower, but entirely to the soil. 

" Let us, then, be up and doing, 
With a heart for any fate ; 
Still achieving, still pursuing, 
Learn to labor and to wait." 

— Selected and abridged from Robertson. 

III. A Su?nmer Service. The Lesson of Flowers. 
(Matt. 6 : 28). 
We are now almost midway in the season of 
flowers, between the coming of the early violet and 
the late chrysanthemum, and are witnessing them in 
their various phases of bloom, beauty, glory, and rapid 
decay. Material things are the visible and transient 
forms into which ideas have been cast, and a flower 
forms one of the many words which God uses in the 
language of symbolism for lessons of truth and 



58 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

wisdom. We are too apt to think that the material 
things of earth alone have permanence and reality, 
and serve as the patterns of all thinking and experi- 
ence, but this is the error of materialism. The truth 
is on the other side. The pattern of things is unseen 
and eternal. Thoughts are not the fleeting shadows 
which matter casts ; but more correctly matter in its 
various forms is their shadow (2 Cor. 4: 18; Col. 
2:17; Heb. 8: 5; and 9: 23). What, then, are some 
of the lessons which flowers teach? 

1. From time immemorial the gift of a flower has 
conveyed the language of esteem and friendship, and 
in their use on Decoration Day they have come to be 
emblematical of the affection entertained for those 
who gave their lives to the service of their country. 
Flowers form the symbolism of love and beauty, 
as appears from such popular names as " forget-me- 
not," " love-lies-bleeding," etc. And in a sick room 
they are there with their fragrance and beauty to 
remind the sick of the love we cherish for them, and 
silently to preach of a beauty that fades not like their 
own — immortal in the skies. 

2. Their color, beauty and fragrance command 
attention and are unrivalled. Christ called himself 
" The Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Vallies." 
(Cant. 2:1). The flowers of the field were intro- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 59 

duced into the Sermon on the Mount to illustrate a 
variety of truths. Consider: Solomon in all his glory- 
was not arrayed like one of these. 

3. Their perfectibility. The breath of sin, the 
blast of winter and the mildew of death fell upon 
them when they were plucked out of Paradise and 
scattered over the earth. That they suffered deteri- 
oration is evident from the fact that kindly culture has 
so greatly improved their bloom and multiplied their 
variety. Flowers come to us from the paradise that 
is past to tell us of a lost and faded beauty, and to 
prophesy of a greater and grander beauty that shall 
not, like their own, so soon pass away. Music is 
another language of sentiment and emotion, which 
seems to have come down to us from the paradise 
above — a wave of melody that has burst through the 
gates of heaven and overflowed its walls, that our 
souls might be thrilled with the harmonies of the 
endless life and the heavenly bliss, where God is 
praised with unsinning hearts. Flowers and music 
tell us of the " Paradise Lost " and the " Paradise 
Regained," and prophesy of the beauty and harmony 
that shall yet prove unending. 

4. We are also to learn from flowers the shortness 
of life and the corruptibility of all earthly glory. 
Walk through the field in its beauty and fragrance of 



60 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

grass and flower. The glory of spring* soon passes 
into summer and fades away into the tints of autumn ; 
or wither and die under the scorching heat of the sun 
and the fiery blast, and it is all gone. David as he 
tended his father's flocks had been impressed by it, 
and when he wrote the 103d Psalm he remembered 
it and said, the life of man is just like this. Like the 
grass and flowers of the field, so he flourishes and so 
he departs. (Ps. 103 : 15, 16; also, Is. 40: 6-8, and 1 
Peter 1 : 24). 

5. The rose is a sign of fertility. (Is. 35 : 1). 

6. Flowers preach a most impressive sermon on 
Providence. 

What a world of thought and care 
Makes the tiny flower fair ! 

Destined to bloom for a day ; if God is so lavish here, 
how much more shall not His love and care extend 
to His creatures who have sentient life and are capa- 
ble of loving Him. (Matt. 6 : 28-34). What a lesson 
is here for the man that is fearful and desponding — 
that is lacking in faith and hope. He ought to read 
this lesson every day. God will not and does not 
forget. If He take care of birds and flowers, how 
much more will his thoughts extend to you, O ye of 
little faith! 

7. But life in its unfoldings here is so short — why 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 6 1 

should we grieve if we are subject to its harsh muta- 
tions. There is nothing that more keenly tries char- 
acter than the sudden gain or loss of wealth. By 
that the poor man's head is oft made giddy; by this 
the rich man's heart is crushed, and his hope and am- 
bition fly away with his riches. But why should it 
be so ? Life is like the flower of the grass ; mutation 
is its order. And besides we are tried thus sorely, in 
order that character — the perpetual and enduring 
fruit of the flower — may become firm and noble, and 
may not be unhinged by these severe blasts that 
sweep over it. Prosperity like adversity soon passes 
away, and these distinctions perish in the tomb. 
But what if he should miss the crown of life? 
" Blessed is the man that endureth temptation : for 
when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, 
which the Lord hath promised to them that love 
him." (Jas. i : 8-12.) 

— By the writer^ from the Interior. 

IV. A Topic for Autumn. 
" We all do fade as a leaf." (Is A. 64 : 6.) 
In the late autumn days, the saddest of the year, 
Nature is preaching to us a solemn sermon from 
the most solemn of all texts. This lesson is whis- 
pered by every bleak wind that moans through the 



62 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

waning wood; it is proclaimed in melancholy mur- 
murs by every stream that wanders through the 
valley, choked with the relics of former beauty and 
luxuriance; it is painted in brown and sombre hues 
on every part of the landscape. The burden of every 
sound we hear, the moral of every sight we see, is 
the old, old truth, which finds a ready response in 
every human bosom, " We all do fade as a leaf." 

Leaves are beautiful objects — rich in color, graceful 
in shape, simple in structure — they are among the 
most exquisite productions of Nature's loom. 

i. Leaves fade gradually. The whole foliage of a 
tree does not fade and pass away at once. Some 
leaves droop and wither even in Spring, when the 
rest of the foliage is in its brightest and most luxuri- 
ant beauty. Some are torn away in summer, while 
green and full of sap, by sudden and violent storms. 
The great majority fade and fall in autumn; while a 
few cling to the branches all through the cold and 
desolation of winter, and are at last pushed off by the 
unfolding buds of the following spring. And is it 
not so with every human generation? Generation 
after generation will come and go; tree after tree will 
fall and perish; forest after forest will disappear; and 
thus it will continue until the cycle of man's existence 
on earth be complete, and the angel shall come, and 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 63 

swear that Time shall be no longer, and death itself 
shall die. 

2. Leaves fade silently. As He veiled His won- 
drous working for the Israelites at the Red Sea with 
the cloud of night, and the dawn only revealed the 
complete miracle, so in the field of nature, He reveals 
to us not processes, but results. One by one the 
leaves become discolored and drop off; but we cannot 
trace the insidious progress of the blight from its 
commencement to its consummation, and the first 
notice we have of the change is the hectic hue upon 
their surface. Who is to be the first to receive the 
message to pass hence — we know not; an awful 
uncertainty rests upon that. The veil that hides it 
from our view is woven by the hand of mercy. But 
certain it is that some must go first. The process of 
decay has begun in some already. 

** Leaves have their time to fall ; 

And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath: 
But thou all seasons — all ; 

Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O death ! 
We know when moons shall wane, 

When summer birds from far shall cross the sea, 
When autumn leaves shall tinge the golden grain : 

But who shall teach us when to look for theef" 

3. Leaves fade differently. The autumnal foliage 
is very varied. They all presented a uniform green- 



64 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

ness in summer; but decay brings out their individual 
character, and shows each of them in its true colors. 
When death comes, the true character of each person 
is made apparent. Precious in the sight of the Lord 
is the death of His saints; precious and also beautiful. 
" Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my 
last end be like his." 

4. Leaves fade characteristically. The foliage that 
is gloomiest in its unfolding is most unsightly in its 
decay; and the leaves that have the richest and ten- 
derest shade of green in April, have the most brilliant 
rainbow hues in October. And so it is with man: 
he dies as he lives. A life of godliness ends in a 
saintly death; and a career of worldliness and sin ter- 
minates in impenitence and despair. The law of life 
is, that the fruit shall be as the seed, and the end as 
the beginning: unless, indeed, the higher law of 
divine mercy interposes on ,a timely repentance. And 
as the fading itself is characteristic, so also are the 
results. 

5. Leaves fade preparedly. No leaf falls from the 
tree — unless wrenched off suddenly and unexpectedly 
in early growth by external violence — without mak- 
ing due preparation for its departure. Go to the 
forest or the field, and examine every tree or flower 
in this sad season of decay, and you will find to your 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 65 

surprise and delight that " there is as much of life as of 
death in autumn " — that the elements of future resus- 
citation and growth are provided for, amid tokens of 
universal decadence and corruption. Already " another 
year is hidden along the bough." As surely as the 
leaf fades so shall we fade. We may imagine it dis- 
tant. A thousand unforeseen foes, fatal to life, line 
our path on either side, and we have to run the 
gauntlet daily between them. We began to die the 
moment we began to live. Our very life itself is 
nothing else but a succession of dying; and every 
day and every hour, in the changes within and with- 
out which we experience, wears away a part of it. 
Should we not then so count our days that we may 
apply our hearts to heavenly wisdom? — the wisdom 
of knowing, and loving, and serving Him who alone 
can redeem our poor perishing life from its vanity, 
and change it into the glory and blessedness of a life 
hid with Christ in God. Apart from Him, the in- 
dustry of a lifetime is but elaborate trifling, " the 
costly embroidering of a shroud." United to Him our 
labor is not in vain in the Lord, our works shall 
endure and follow us. Every leaf on the tree of 
humanity must fade ; but if we are grafted by a living 
faith in Him whose name is the " Branch," His own 
gracious promise becomes a living truth to us: iC I am 



66 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

the resurrection and the life : he that believeth in Me, 

though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever 

liveth, and believeth in Me, shall never die." 

1 ' On the tree of life eternal, 

Man, let all thy hopes be stayed, 
Which, alone forever vernal, 

Bears a leaf which shall not fade.' ' 

— Abridged from Bible Teachings in Nature. 



CHAPTER VII. 

One Method for the Selection of Topics. 

I gladly avail myself at this place of some judicious 
remarks on the selection of topics, and insert them 
here for their permanent value, which were first 
written for the Interior by the Rev. J. C. McClin- 
tock, of Burlington, Iowa, and printed in that paper 
last year, under the caption " Themes from the Pews." 
A method like this, in the absence of uniform topics, 
or the continuous study of the Scriptures, seems well 
calculated to wake up the mind of the people, and 
lead them to take a deeper interest in the prayer- 
meeting and its spiritual improvement. 

"n her delightfully suggestive article, Mrs. Cooper wonders 
what sort of themes we preachers would talk upon if the pews gave 
them to us. I have wondered, too; and I have often feared that 
we missed the very subjects, sometimes, that our people most 
needed. We, sitting in our studies, do not always get into full 
sympathy with the daily life of our people. We come to them 
with a sermon about the philosophy of religion, and they have, 
come to us to hear how to be patient when the children are cross, 
and submissive to Providence when business is going all wrong. 

I determined to try the experiment of letting- the people select 
the themes that we would talk about in prayer-meeting, and to see 



68 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

if in this way I could not get a little nearer to their every-day life 
and wants. So I quietly asked a number of people, representing 
the various classes in my church , to prepare a list of ten or fifteen 
subjects, such as they would like to have explained and prayed 
over, and hand them to me. I had a splendid response. To be 
sure, the topics did not differ from those I would have chosen, as 
much as I supposed ; and I was glad of it. For it encouraged me 
to think that the pulpit and the pews did understand each other 
pretty well after all. But the topics were fresh ; the passages of 
Scripture chosen to illustrate them were very well selected, and I 
felt sure the people who made the selection would be interested in 
the study of their own topics. Out of the seventy or eighty handed 
to me by different persons, there were enough duplicates to cut 
down the total to about the number needed for a year. I arranged 
those — and it was interesting to note how they covered nearly the 
whole range of Christian experience, daily life, and vital doctrine, 
and then I had them printed in neat shape and given to everybody 
in the congregation. 

We had such topics as : "The Helping Hand," Gal. 6: i-io; 
"Out into the Highways," Luke 14: 16-24; "The Daily Walk," 
Eph. 5 : 1-21; " Relationship to Christ," Matt. 12:46-50; 
"Christ's Sympathy," John 11 : 21-44; " My Duty to the Prayer- 
meeting," Heb. 10: 19-29; "Christ's Death for Sin," Is. 53: 1-12; 
" The Coming of Christ," Matt. 24: 37-51 ; " Planning our Busi- 
ness," James 4 : 13-17 ; " Honesty in all Things," Prov. 20: 10-23; 
" How to be Saved," John 3: 14-21; u The World for Christ," 
Ps. 2 : 1-12. 

The result was so pleasing and profitable in every way, that I 
have continued the plan. I am sure it has been a help to me, and 
a great benefit to the people and the prayer-meeting. 

Why might not our churches generally unite on some such list of 
topics for the prayer-meeting, and get the help that comes from 
united effort and prayer, even as we have in the Sunday-school? 
Some time since, a correspondent proposed this in your columns. 
I don't know who it was, but I would like to shake his hand." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Bible and the Topics. 

Is is our main design to present a variety of ways 
in which the prayer-meeting may be conducted to 
interest and edification. A great object will be 
gained if we can secure a united and continuous study 
of the Bible. " Search the Scriptures, for in them 
ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which 
testify of me." This can doubtless be secured by 
selecting; some book of the Bible, and letting a 
paragraph or a section of it suggest the themes to be 
considered in the prayer-meeting from week to week 
until the book is finished. This method is at present 
being followed by the Third Presbyterian Church of 
Chicago, Dr. A. E. Kittredge, pastor. Just now, as 
we learn, they are considering the Gospel of St. John. 
It is scarcely necessary to say that the prayer-meeting 
of this church is well known for its continued 
interest, and a weekly attendance of from four to six 
hundred persons the year around. It would be well 
if, as in their case, the people were supplied with 



JO THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

copies of the Bible at the prayer-meeting, to follow 
the reading and its exposition, or to take part in the 
reading whenever that is desirable. In fact the 
" Bible Reading " of our day is emphasizing the im- 
portance of the people having copies of the Bible 
with them in all religious meetings, that they may 
acquire readiness in turning from book to book and 
chapter to chapter in search of Scriptural truth or 
expositions of it, as well as acquire familiarity in the 
use of the Bible and become mighty in the Scriptures. 
In this way the truth will pass to the heart, not only 
through the ear, but also through the eye, and such 
assistance will prove valuable; for the greater the 
number of senses we can employ in bringing home 
the truth, the deeper will be its impressions, and the 
more lasting its influence. 

This method has its peculiar advantages that 
recommend it in the absence of any plan that has 
been systematized, with reference to a full knowledge 
of Bible doctrine in its applications to daily needs and 
a steady growth in grace. It has all the advantages 
of expository preaching. Rev. F. W. Robertson, 
soon after entering upon his ministry at Trinity 
Chapel, Brighton, announced his intention of 
expounding different books of the Bible on Sunday 
afternoons that he might secure for himself greater 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. J I 

freedom, both in subject and in style, than the sermon 
afforded. In this way he went through First and 
Second Samuel, the Acts, Genesis, and the Epistles 
to the Corinthians. In Samuel he was permitted to 
expound " Hebrew national life, and, incidentally, the 
experiences of particular individuals of that nation, — 
in all of which he discerned lessons for the English 
people, and for the men and women who sat before 
him. Thus it occurred that topics of national policy, 
so far as bearing on individuals, — questions of social 
life — of morals, as they are connected with every-day 
life, arose naturally, and were treated with unshrink- 
ing faithfulness." And the Epistles to the Corin- 
thians were selected more particularly, " because 
they afford the largest scope for the consideration of a 
great variety of questions in Christian casuistry, 
which he thought it important to be rightly under- 
stood." 

By this method, too, a very large portion of 
inspired truth will be presented at each meeting. 
The subjects considered will grow out of the chapters 
themselves, and will have such progressive move- 
ment in thought, variety, and unity, as the book 
itself possesses. In this way truths that might other- 
wise be overlooked will receive proper and needful 
attention, and the greater variety of subjects thus con- 



72 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

sidered will do much to relieve the successive meet- 
ings, either from being too disjointed, or from being 
mere repetitions of the same lines of thought, 
"Preachers," it has been well said, " are too apt to get 
the truth before their congregations, in one way 
only — -whatever one they find they have the greatest 
facility for; and that is like playing on one chord — 
men get tired of the monotony. Whereas, preaching 
should be directed to every element of human nature 
that God has implanted in us — to the imaginative, to 
the highly spiritual, to the moral, to that phase of the 
intellectual that works up and toward the invisible, 
and to the intellectual, that works down to the 
material and tangible." 

And in addition to all this, it may give opportunity 
to handle certain subjects that may be particularly 
needed in the way of rebuke, correction, or exhorta- 
tion, without giving offence, or permitting it to be 
said that the subjects in question had been selected 
with particular reference to " hitting certain persons " 
in the church. 

And finally, we will name a small number of books 
to be used in connection with this method, and in fact 
with all study of the Bible, which will form in itself 
a valuable library, or at least lay the foundation for 
one, in the Christian household. These are: the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. J $ 

Bible, a Bible Text-Book, a Concordance, a Diction- 
ary of the Bible, a Bible Commentary, a Harmony of 
the Gospels, a History of the Church, an Atlas of 
Bible Lands, a History of Doctrines, a History of the 
World, and Webster's Dictionary Unabridged. 

"And as an addition to this chapter, though not in- 
timately connected with it, we will give two illustra- 
tions to show how geography and chronology may 
be made the handmaids of Bible history, and serve as 
" eyes " to the fuller understanding of scriptural truth. 

"The physical and general geographical features of the Holy 
Land should be fully comprehended. Palestine proper is but a 
small country — not as large as Maryland and Delaware. The 
plan we suggest is that a few of the most prominent places, repre- 
senting the various parts of the land, be selected and fixed indelibly 
on the memory. Their physical peculiarities, their distance and 
direction, say from Jerusalem, and some historical event for which 
. they were each noted, might be studied, and this would help to 
give them distinctness. Let us take a few places as, follows : 
Beersheba, forty-two miles north-west of Jerusalem, the old home 
of the patriarchs, on the borders of the desert ; Hebron, sixteen 
miles south of Jerusalem, here Abraham purchased the cave of 
Macpelah ; Samaria, thirty-eight miles north of Jerusalem, capital 
of the kingdom of Israel, with its wicked kings; Capernaum, 
eighty-one miles north of Jerusalem, the scene of so many of our 
Lord's miracles and discourses ; Dan, one hundred and nine miles 
north of Jerusalem, on the northern extremity of Palestine, here 
Jereboam setup the golden calf; Tyre, one hundred and six miles 
north of Jerusalem, the great commercial city of antiquity; Acre, 
eighty miles north-west of Jerusalem, ' the key of Syria,' famed in 
many a war; Joppa, thirty-five miles westward from Jerusalem 

6 



74 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 



and the port of that city; and Ramoth-Gilead, forty miles north- 
east of Jerusalem, one of the cities of refuge, and the place where 
King Ahab was slain. If these leading points are imprinted 
permanently on the memory, and all scriptural incidents associated 
with one or the other of them or with Jerusalem, then an 
important key has been furnished for opening the sacred treasury. 

God has seen fit to convey the knowledge of his will to us 
largely through history. Accordingly in the Bible we have the 
history of the way in which salvation was wrought out for 
mankind, of God's providential dealings with both good and bad 
men, of the condition of the race when its Creator was discarded, 
and of the world both with and without religion. We would 
suggest the following outline for sacred history : 



EPOCH. 



10. 
11. 



Creation 

Deluge. . i 

Call of Abraham 

Descent into Egypt. . . 

Exodus 

Passage of the Jordan 
Establishment of the 

Monarchy 

Division of the Monarchy 
Capture of Jerusalem. 
Close of Old Testament 

History 

Birth of Christ 



B.C. 



4004 
2348 
1921 
1706 
1491 
1451 

1095 
975 

587 

397 
00 



NAME OF PERIOD. 



Antediluvian Period 

Noachian Period 

Patriarchal Period 

Egyptian Period 

Wilderness Period ... 

Period of the Judges 

Period of United Monarchy. 
Period of Divided Monarchy 

Period of the Captivity 

Period of the World Powers 



Hi fii 



1656 

427 

215 

215 

40 

356 
120 
388 

190 
397 



These divisions of time have been made with especial reference to 

the history of the Bible. It will take but a very short time to 

memorize these ten dates, and it is recommended that they be 

repeated hundreds of times, if necessary, so as to become perfectly 

indelible and familiar. The assertion is ventured that whoever 

does this will be astonished and delighted at the assistance it will 

afford in understanding the Bible history, at the order into which 

it will reduce the various events, and at the light it will throw over 

the whole book." 

— Selected from Dr. Murphy. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Bible Readings for the Prayer Meeting. 

A praying church will be a Bible-reading church, 
and a Bible-reading church will be a uraying church. 
Either practice will induce the other. The revival 
in Bible-reading which is so prominent a feature of 
the Great Awakening in our day, shows its connec- 
tion with vital godliness, and the importance to be 
attached to it as a permanent instrumentality. 

A Bible reading* may occasionally be introduced 
into the prayer-meeting to great advantage, and be 
made to take the place of the usual remarks. This 
will be found, if rightly conducted, highly interesting 

•* Valuable assistance will be derived from two books lately issued : 
*' Hints on Bible Readings," by Rev. Jno. C.Hill, and "The 
Hand-Book of Bible Readings," by H. B. Chamberlain; also, 
"The Hebraist's Vade Mecum," "Eadie's Analytical Concord- 
ance," and " Inglis' Bible Text Encyclopedia." Nearly all 
the so-called evangelists of our day give much attention to this 
subject, and their preaching frequently is a Bible reading. And 
even the pastors are beginning to give much attention to the 
presentation of Gospel truth through the agency of what is called 
"Bible Reading." As testimony of this we may name Dr. J. H. 
Brookes, Dr. A. T. Pierson, Dr. J. H. Vincent, Dr. G. F. Pentecost, 
Rev. Jno. C. Hill. Rev. W.J. Erdman, Rev. W. S. Rainsford, 
Rev. H. M. Parsons, Rev. G. A. Hall, Rev. W. F. Crafts. Rev. 
C. M. Whittelsey, Rev. T. B. Stephenson, and many others. 



76 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

and profitable. God honors the instrumentality of 
the Word ; " for the Word of God is quick and 
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, 
piercing even to the dividing: asunder of soul and 
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a dis- 
cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." — 
Heb. 4. 12. 

To make the exercise a success, however, will 
require considerable study on the part of the leader; 
perhaps fully as much time as he gives to the preparation 
of a sermon. But the time thus devoted to the study 
of the Bible will amply reward him, and repay him 
much more than it costs. To read and study the 
Word of God; to have the very words which the 
Holy Spirit has inspired, — as not merely the basis of 
our remarks, but the substance of our remarks, cannot 
prove other than a great blessing. 

In order to prepare for a Bible reading the leader 
should select some important subject relating to 
Biblical doctrine, Christian daily life and experience, 
the cultivation of piety, or the practical duties of 
religion. Having chosen his theme, let him next 
turn to his Concordance and hunt up all the Scripture 
texts that really bear upon his topic. Help in the 
selection may also be derived from Scripture text- 
books, " Hitchcock's Analysis of the Bible," 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. J J 

" Locke's Common-place Book of the Holy Bible," 
"The Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Con- 
cordance of the Old Testament," "The Englishman's 
Greek Concordance of the New Testament," and 
such other books of a kindred nature as he may- 
have in his possession. He will find it very con- 
venient to copy on separate slips of paper each 
passage with the book and verse indicated from 
which it is taken. After he has written out all the 
passages having chief relevancy to his topic, he will 
then begin to compare Scripture with Scripture, in 
order to classify the texts and arrange them under 
their more appropriate divisions. In this way he will 
soon discover the harmony of Scriptures, and how 
forcibly, as well as beautifully, they teach and 
illustrate his subject. As each text is written in full, 
and separate from the others, it can easily be 
changed from place to place until the appropriate 
place and logical order for all have been discovered, 
and now he can take a strip of paper and pin each 
text in its piace under its proper head and subdivision. 
The list of texts is now ready to be numbered i, 2, 
3, etc., in the order of sequence for the public 
reading. If he finds that he has several texts of 
like import, he can select the one best adapted to 
illustrate his subject and make a marginal reference to 



78 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

the others without reading them. And between the 
texts, if they are pinned somewhat apart, he can jot 
down in outline such remarks and illustrations as will 
connect the reading, and give it point and applica- 
tion. It will not be enough to read detached portions 
of Scripture, for in the rapid presentation of the 
texts alone, the people might fail to catch their 
import and relative bearing upon your subject. 

Major Whittle has given a very serviceable caution 
to those who have not as yet had much experience 
with exercises of this sort, that we do well to heed.. 
" Be careful," he says, " not to make the reading too 
long. Better to divide your topic into five or six 
readings, and bring out the Scriptures upon each head 
to your own satisfaction, than to crowd too many 
heads into one reading. You will find the instruc- 
tion thus given more easily apprehended and more, 
careiully retained. The fault with most of us lay 
workers, who have been uninstructed in the logical 
presentation of truth, is in the beginning of our 
work to make our readings too cumbersome. My 
first Bible reading on ' Faith ' contained some sixty 
scriptural references. Before they were all read the- 
audience were tired, and it was a source of anxiety; 
and difficulty for me to interest them. That same 
Bible reading for one meeting has now developed 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. Jg 

into seven, given as a course, at seven successive 
meetings, with seeming interest and appreciation on 
the part of the people, and pleasure to myself." 

If you have adopted a list of topics for the prayer- 
meeting and running through the year, you can 
select from this list such subjects, at suitable intervals 
of time, as seem best adapted for exposition by a 
Bible reading, and then give to its preparation such 
study and prayer as shall serve to bring out its 
truths into boldness and clearness of view. 

" The very best of Bible readings are gotten up by 
hard work," says the Rev. Jno. C. Hill — " searching 
the Scriptures, many of them are long months in 
making. In order to make these, you must search 
the Scriptures daily, and at every turn you will find 
something new; note it, and save it for future use. 
A good plan is this: have a lot of large envelopes 
the size of a note sheet, mark them on one corner 
with a topic — e. g., love, assurance, etc.; arrange 
these in alphabetical order, and whenever you get an 
idea, lose no time to note it on a slip and place it in its 
proper envelope. File away your illustrations in the 
same way. Scrap-books are not well adapted to this 
work; too much time is lost in pasting and indexing, 
and even then time is lost in gathering your material 
scattered all through the book, while by the envelope 



8o THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

system you have all your scraps and verses before 
you at a single glance. The lay evangelists, Moody, 
Whittle, Cole, Moorehouse, and others, use this 
method." 

But as the people are to take part in this exercise, 
the references may be read by them in concert from 
their Bibles; or what will doubtless prove more 
expeditious, by certain ones in the audience who are 
good readers, and who, having received each a text 
numbered on a slip of paper prepared for this purpose, 
will promptly respond. And in case there should be 
any delay in the reading, it will be best for the leader 
to read it himself and not delay the meeting. 

There are thus two methods* for reading and 
studying the Bible. 

I. To read it continuously. It would be well if 
every Christian would read his Bible through once 
every year. " I never heard of a man," says George 
Rodgers, " who read it right through, and then said he 
did not believe in it. Read it all through and it will be 
sure to get hold of you somewhere; it will then get 

*These methods may be particularized as follows : I. Reading 
the word : (a) Daily devotional reading, (b) Social reading, (c) 
Reading sacred biographies, (d) A book at a continuous reading. 
2. Studying : (a) By topics, (b) By words, (c) By references, 
(d) By books. 

Presented by H. B. Chamberlain, at a Y. M. C. A. Conference, lately held 
at Baldwinsville, N. Y. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 8 I 

into the movement and become a necessity for your 
being; you cannot after that do without it." 

2. To read it topically so as to get its collected 
and entire teaching on a particular subject. Such 
Bible reading was not possible before the entire 
volume was completed. During the 1500 years 
of its composition the Bible was incomplete and not 
generally accessible; but now that the canon has 
been closed and printing invented, the book is so 
multiplied that every person may possess a copy in its 
completeness, and read and study its pages both con- 
nectedly and separately. And besides this, there are 
various helps to facilitate his study and guide him to 
a clearer understanding of the truth. 

If the minister can succeed in making his church 
into a sort of Biblical institute for the continuous and 
the topical study of the Bible, his labors will be 
greatly blessed both to them and to others, as well as 
to himself. And if such reading of the Bible, as 
has just been sketched, be occasionally made the 
order for the prayer-meeting, it can hardly be 
doubted that its influence and result shall be felt and 
seen in all the departments of life and doctrine ; and 
that the Church, which is the body of Christ, shall be 
systematically edified, and the unsaved brought to 
rejoice in the gracious knowledge and experience of 
the truth. 



CHAPTER X. 

Illustrations of Bible Readings, 

We have selected a number of Bible readings, 
which as examples have peculiar relevancy to our 
subject — the prayer-meeting. For these selections 
we are mainly indebted to the two books mentioned 
in a foot-note to the last chapter. 

I. THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

i. His Personality. 

He is described in the Word of God as a person, and not as an 
influence, John 14:16, 17, 25, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15. 
Acts 8: 29; 10: 19; 15: 28. The words he and him 
should always be used, instead of the word it, when speak- 
ing of the Spirit. 

We are baptized into His name, and He is invoked in prayer, 
showing that He is a person as truly as the Father and 
the Son. Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 6 : 18. 

Men are said to vex, to blaspheme, to resist, to grieve, to 
to quench the Spirit, which they could not do unless He 
is a person. Isaiah 63 : 10 ; Matt. 12 : 31 ; Acts 7:51; 
Eph. 4: 30; 1 Thess. 5: 19. 

He does those things for us that can be done only by a person, 
for it is He who regenerates, quickens, teaches, reproves^ 
helps and sanctifies the believer. John 3:5* 6 : 63 ; 
16: 8; Rom. 8: 26; 1 Cor. 6: 11. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 83 

Personal acts that could not be performed by an attribute or 
influence are ascribed to Him, as when He is said to 
know, to reveal, to bestow power, to love, to search the 
deep things of God, and to distribute of His manifold 
gifts "to every man severally as He will." John 16: 
13, 14; Acts 1:8; Rom. 15:30; 1 Cor. 2:10, 11; 
12: 8-1 1. 

It is often affirmed in the Bible that the Spirit "said" and 
"spake," proving conclusively that He is a person. 
2 Sam. 23:2; Mark 12 : 36 ; Acts 1:16; 13:2121:11; 
28:25; 1 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 3:7; Rev. 3:7; 14 : 1 3 ; 
22 : 17. 

The visible manifestations of the Spirit show that He is a per- 
son. Matt. 3:16; Luke 3:21,22; John 1:32; Acts 
2: 3, 4. 

His Divinity. 
He is called God. 2 Sam. 23: 23; Isa. 6: 8, 9, compared 

with Acts 18: 25; Jer. 31: 31-34, compared with Heb. 

10: 15; Acts 5: 3, 4, 
He possesses the perfections of God ; as omnipotence, om- 
niscience, omnipresence, holiness, eternal existence, Job 

26: 13; Psalm 139 : 7; Romans 1:4; 1 Cor. 2 : 10; 

Heb. 9: 14. 
He performs the works of God, Gen. 1:2; Ex. 31: 3; Job 

33:4; Psa. 104: 30; Isa. 11:2; Rom. 8:11; 15:16, 

1 Cor. 2:14; 2 Peter 1:21; Rev. 11: 11. 
Sin against Him is sin against God. Mark 3: 28, 29: Acts 

5 : 5; Heb. 4: 7-9; 10 : 29. 
He exercises the sovereignty and resistless will of God, Num. 

9:26; 24 : 2 ; Jud. 14:6; 1 Sam. 10 : 6 ; Neh. 9 : 20 ; 

Isa. 11:13; Isa. 63 : 10, 11, 14; Mic. 2 : 7 ; Zech. 4:6; 

Luke 12: 11,12; Acts 13:4; 16:6,7; 20:28; 

1 Cor. 12 : 11. 
We depend upon Him as upon God, Mark 13 : 11 ; John 3:5;' 

14:26; 16:7-14; Acts 4:31; 9-3i; 10:19,20; 



84 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

Rom. 3: 9-16, 26; 15: 13; 1 Cor. 3: 16, 17; 1 John, 

4- 13. 
We are required to recognize Him as God, Matt. 28 : 19; 
Rom. 15:30; 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:30; 
1 John 5 : 6-9 ; Rev. 3 : 22. 

3. He is revealed in the Old Testament as filling men, 

or coxming upon them, but not as abiding with them, 
OR dwelling IN them. The Old Testament saints, while 
saved by the Holy Ghost through faith in the promised 
Messiah, were not linked to a risen man at God's right hand ; 
but corporately and dispensationally their place was on the 
earth. Ex. 31:3; Num. 11:25-29; 24:2; Deut. 34:9; 
Judges 3 : 10 ; 6 : 34 ; 13:25; 14 : 6, 19 ; 15 : 14 ; 1 Sam. 10 : 
6,10; it:6; 16:13,14; 2 Chron. 1 5 : 1 ; 20:14; 24:20; 
Mic. 3:8; Exodus 19:5, 6; Deuteronomy 32:8; Isaiah 
43 : 9, 10 : Amos 3 : 2. 

4. He is revealed in the New Testament after a new 

manner and for A new purpose, and hence His coming 
is said to depend upon the finished work of Christ. He is 
present now in the world to gather out a people unto- the name 
of Jesus, to regenerate them, to abide with them forever, to 
•dwell in them, to sanctify them, to give them their place and 
portion in the heavens, and to constitute them the body of 
which the risen Saviour on the right hand of the Majesty on 
high is the living Head. Acts 15 : 14 ; Matt. 3:11; John 3 ; 5 ; 
7 : 39 ; 14 : 16, 17, 26 ; 15 : 26 ; 16 : 7 ; Acts 19 : 2 ; Rom. 5 : 5; 
8:9; 1 Cor. 6 : 19 ; 12:13: Eph. 2 : 22 ; 4:4; Hebrews 3:1; 
10 : 34 ; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 4 : 17. 

5. The Promise of the Comforter was fulfilled on the 

day of our Lord's Resurrection, which was also the day 
of His ascension in behalf of his people ; but the promise of 
the Spirit as the power of testimony and service was fulfilled 
on the day of Pentecost, following His visible and final ascen- 
sion to the right hand of God. The same two-fold relation of 
Christ, first secretly to His own, and then openly in connection 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 85 

with them to the world at large, runs all through the Scrip- 
tures. He comes for His saints, and afterwards appears with 
them. Compare John 20 : 22 with Gen. 2:7; John 20 : 17 with 
Matt. 28 : 9 ; Acts 1:8; 2 : 1, 17 with Joel 2 : 23-32. It shows a 
lack of intelligence for Christians to pray for the Spirit as if He 
were given occasionally, or as if He had taken His departure ; 
but it is proper to pray for the increased manifestations of His 
presence and power. John 14:16,17; Acts 2:33: 4:31; 
5:32; 6:5, 8; 7:55; 8:17, 29, 39; 9:31; 10:44; 11:24; 
13 : 2, 4 ; 15:8; 16 : 6, 7 ; 19 : 6 ; 20 : 28 ; 21 : 11 ; Eph. 1 : 17; 
Rev. 22 : 16, 17 ; Malachi 4 : 6. 

There is a striking analogy between the relations 
of the Spiritual to the perfect human nature of 
Christ, and His relations to those who are made 
partakers OF the divine nature. Christ as a man was 
born of the Spirit. Matt. 1 : 1S-20 ; Luke 1:35; Heb. 10 : 5. 
He was anointed and sealed with the Spirit. Matt. 3:16; 
Mark 1 : 10 ; Luke 3 : 22 ; John 1 : 32, 33 ; 6 : 27 ; Acts 
10:38. 
He was led by the Spirit. Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:12; Luke 4 : 1. 
He acted in the power of the Spirit. Matt. 12 : 28 ; Luke 4 : 

14-18 ; John 3 : 34 ; Acts I : 2. 
He was justified by the Spirit. Romans 1 : 4 ; 1 Timothy 3 : 16. 
He offered Himself by the Spirit. Hebrews 9 : 14. 
He was raised up by the Spirit. Romans 8:11; I Peter 3:18. 
See also Isaiah 11 : 2 ; Rev. 3 : 1. So Christians are (a) 
born of the Spirit. John 3:5, 6, 8 ; Titus 3 : 5. (0) 
Thev are anointed and sealed with the Spirit, 2 Cor. 1:22; 
5:5; Eph. 1:13: 1 John 2 : 27. (c) They are led by the 
Spirit, Romans 8:4, 14 ; 1 Cor. 6 : 19, 20 ; Gal. 5 : 16-18. 
(d) They act in the power of the Spirit. John 7 : 38, 39 ; 
Acts 1:8; Romans 8 : 26. (e) They are justified by the 
Spirit. 1 Cor. 6:11. (/) They offer themselves unto 
God through the Spirit. Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 12:3-13; 
Galatians 4:4-6; 5:25; 1 Peter 1:2, 22. (g) They 
are raised up by the Spirit. Romans 8:11. 



86 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

7. The Offices of the Spirit in connection with the 

Believer, 
He is the Seal. Many think of Him as the Sealer, and are in 

confusion about the seal ; but He Himself is the seal. 

2 Cor. 1 : 22 ; Eph. 1 : 33. 
He testifies of Christ, and never turns our eyes to the work 

done in us, but to the work done for us, as the ground of 

our consolation. John 15 : 26 ; 16 : 14. 
He teaches in such a way that the humblest believer who is 

subject to His guidance is in no need of human authority. 

John 14 : 26,; 1 Cor. 2 : 14 ; 1 John 2 : 27. 
He bears witness by confirming to the heart the truth of God's 

Word. Romans 8:15, 16 ; Galatians 4 : 6 ; 1 John 5 : 6. 
He dwells in those whom He has united to a risen Christ, and 

builds them together for an habitation of God. Romans 

8:9; 1 Cor. 6 : 19 ; Eph. 2 : 22. 
He is the author of revelation, and the bestower of all gifts and 

graces. 2 Pet. 1:21; 1 Cor. 2 : 10-13 ; 12: 4-1 1 ; Gal 

5 • 22, 23. 
He is the Comforter and Helper of the saints, and the power 

of their acceptable worship. John 14:16; Rom. 8:26; 

Eph. 6:18; Philippians 3:3; 1 John 3 : 24 ; Jude 20. 

Believers are urged not to grieve or quench the Spirit, 

while unbelievers are said to resist Him, and their sin is 

demonstrated by His presence on the earth. Eph. 4:30; 

1 Thess. 5:19; Acts 7:51 ; John 16:8. May we dwell 

more upon the amazing love of the Spirit, Romans 15 : 30. 

— Dr. J. H. Brookes. 

Dr. Brookes is the editor of a valuable monthly, The Truth, a 
publication which contains abundant illustrations of the Word and 
Bible readings. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. ■ 87 

II. HOW TO USE THE BIBLE WITH CHRISTIAN 
WORKERS. 

I. — Acquaint yourself with the Bible. 

To use the Bible efficiently in your work, you must first be ac- 
quainted with it. Jesus says (John 5:39) M Search the Scriptures," 
implying that you must go down beneath the surface to discover 
the depths of the riches of the wisdom of God. In Acts 17:11 it 
is written, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica." 
Notice the stamp of nobility which God recognizes. Is it nobility 
of birth? social station? wealth? learning? No! Those were 
noble men and women, ' ' in that they received the Word with all 
readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily whether these 
things were so." That is the title to nobility in God's estimation. 
Last winter in St. Louis, when the snow was deep, a gentleman on 
leaving a house one night to enter his sleigh dropped a diamond 
ring. It sank in the snow. No casual search for it would answer. 
He at once placed near the spot a large box, hired the policeman to 
keep search during the night, and at the early dawn made persist- 
ent watch until he found it. He did this because it was something 
precious in his estimation. But what is a diamond compared with 
the riches of grace and glory which will be found in this blessed 
book? Seek this acquaintance, because (1) By it we are born 
again : James 1:18; 1 Peter 1 : 23. (2) It makes clean : John 
I 5 : 3- 13) It builds up. Paul says to the elders at Ephesus, "The 
Word is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among 
them which are sanctified." Also, 1 Peter 2 : 2. (4) It sanctifies 
and saves. Jesus says (John 17:17), "Sanctify them through 
thy truth ; thy Word is truth." So Paul, 2 Thess. 2 : 13. (5) It 
accomplishes God's will: Is. 5:10, 11; Jer. 23:29. (6) It is all 
powerful: 2 Cor. 10:4. In Ephesians 6:17, the one weapon 
given for attack upon the foe is the u Sword of the Spirit, which is 
the Word of God." (7) It is all sufficient, as Jesus declares. 
Luke 6 : 31, and in John 15 : 10-13, we are told " He that believeth. 
inot God hath made him a liar." Why? Simply because "he 
believeth not the record which God gave of his Son." 



88 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

II.- — All Scripture is of God : 2 Tim. 3 : 16. From the first 
word of Genesis to the last word of Revelation, all is inspired : 
2 Peter 1 : 19-21. "We have a more sure word." More sure in 
one sense than the brightest flashes of glory that were ever seen 
upon the Mount of Transfiguration. A great many people think 
prophecy is a dark place. God says here, it is "a light which 
shines in a dark place." They "spake as they were moved," not 
as they thought, not as they imagined, but as they were ' ' moved 
by the Holy Ghost." Hence Jesus in His charge to His disciples, 
Matt. 10 : 19, 20, said : " It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of 
your Father which speaketh in you." See also Acts 3 : 21 ; 4 : 25 ; 

2 Sam. 23 : 2. 

Moreover the Scripture is called : (1) The oracles of God : Rom. 
3:1,2. (2) The Word of God : Mark 7 : 13. (3) The Word of 
the Lord : Acts 8 : 25. (4) The Word of Truth : 2 Cor. 6 : 7. (5) 
The Word of Life : John 6 : 68. (6) The Word of Christ : Col. 

3 : 16. (7) The Word of Faith : Rom. 10 : 8, 9. 

I want to press this text home upon any unsaved friends. The 
Word is nigh you to-night ; nearer than when St. Paul wrote these 
verses. An insane woman had shut herself up in a room with a 
little child till both were nearly dead. When we burst into the 
room, we found the child lying on the bed able only to whisper,. 
" water, water." When her little trembling hands pressed the 
goblet to her lips she was scarcely able to hold it ; but, as it re- 
freshed her, she seized it with' a strong, nervous grasp. When 
your perishing, thirsty soul receives the word of Faith, not the 
strength of your grasp on it, but the divine power of the refreshing 
Word will give consolation and strength. 

III. — All Scripture is about Christ: John 5:39-46. He does 
not say, Search part of them. Again, read Luke 4:21; also Luke 
24 : 25-27. Now observe, that beginning at Moses and all the 
prophets he expounded concerning Himself ; Luke 24 : 32. I do 
not wonder that their hearts burned within them. Many of the 
hearts of God's people have burned within them when they have 
found Christ in the Old Testament, where they never thought of 
discovering Him before. In Luke 24:44, 45, he says, "All things- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 89 

are written there about Me," in those' three great divisions of the 
Old Testament. Look at what is said in Matt. 2: 13-15, in the 
light of which read Hosea 11 : 1 ; Acts 17:2, 3. He did not 
reason with them out of human science, human logic, or human 
learning, but out of the Old Testament Scriptures. Remember this 
when you are attacked as Christian workers by fallible science ; and 
never study the Bible in the light of science, but study science in 
the light of the Bible. If you want to make efficient workers, build 
not on a metaphysical basis, but on the divine interpretation of 
God's blessed Word. Apollos was mighty here ; Acts 18 : 28. In 
the last chapter of Acts, 23d verse, we see Paul occupied all day 
with the Old Testament Scriptures. How many of us find enough 
in the Old Testament to occupy us all day ? Mr. Whittle told me 
last summer of an unlettered man who had studied the Bible until 
he had become convinced, without any outside suggestions, that the 
last clause of Rom. 8 : 1, did not belong there. I believe that man 
was taught that by the Holy Spirit. 

IV. — All Scripture is for ourselves: Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 4:2. 
Believe and act as if you believed that the Word of God is for you ; 
become acquainted with its precious words, and gently lead the 
lost into the palace of God: 1 Thess. 2:13. The poor empress 
Carlotta had escaped from the palace. Her physician knew that a 
rude shock would dethrone forever her tottering reason. Knowing 
her fondness for flowers, he scattered them in her pathway, and 
she, charmed like a child, was safely led back again. If you want 
to become efficient workers for the Master, seek for and strew the 
beautiful flowers of Scripture in paths of those who have wandered, 
and lure them back to God. 

V. — Cherisn as Christian workers a feeling of dependence upon 
the Holy Spirit. . In John 8 : 38, 39, and Acts 1 : 8, Jesus inculcates 
this dependence upon his disciples. In Acts 6 : 5, Stephen is "full 
of the Holy Ghost," and in 8th verse, we find him "full of power." 
We also receive the spirit of adoption : Rom. 8:15, and Gal. 4 : 6. 
Until with child-like confidence we know God as our Father, we 
cannot be efficient workers. Little May Newton three years old, 



90 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

in her father's arms fired the explosion which opened Hell Gate to 
commerce. And the child of God who is filled with His Spirit 
finds nothing impossible to him : 2 Tim. 1 : 7. 

VI. — To become efficient workers, make use of prayer in connec- 
tion with the Word : Matt. 21 : 21 ; Luke 11 : 9 ; John 14 : 13, and 
16 : 24. What hath God wrought in answer to prayer ? Jas. 5 : 
17, 18. 

VII. — In your work think of the value of the soul : Matt. 16 : 27 ; 
18 : 10, 11, 14 ; and of the Lord's approval ; 2 Cor. 5 : 9. 

— Dr. J. H. Brookes. 



III. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE. 

1. Object in Study. — Find Christ. John 5: 39; Luke 24: 
27, 44 ; Acts 28 : 23 ; 2 Tim. 3:16; John 6 : 63 ; Ps. 138 : 2 ; 
John 1 1-14; John 3 : 11-13, 34. 

2. Life by the Word. — Jas. 1 : 18-21 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 23 ; Deut. 
8:3; John 5 : 39 ; John 6 : 63 ; Ps. 119 : 130. 

3. Growth. — Job 23 : 12 ; Jer. 15 : 16 ; John 6 :. 35 ; Matt. 
5 : 6 ; 2 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 5 : 26. 

4. Power. — Is. 40 : 8 ; Ps. 119 : 89 ; John 15:7; Eph. 6 : 17 ; 
Heb. 4:12; Rom. 10 : 17. 

5. Searching in Study. — John 5 : 39 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 15. 

6. Dependence on the Holy Spirit. — John 15 : 13 ; 16 : 26 ; 
Jude 20 ; Jas. 1 : 5 ; 1 Cor. 2 : 9, 10, 12, 13. 

7. With the Whole Mind and Heart. — 1 Chron. 28:9; 
2 Chron. 15 : 2 ; Is. 26: 3. 

8. Seek Light from any who are Taught by the 
Spirit. — 2 Pet. 1 : 20, 21 ; 1 Tim. 4 : 13-16. 

9. After much Study have clear, positive Views. — 
2 Tim. 1 : 8-13 ; Ps. 51 : 12, 13. 

Pray before reading ; read and pray ; search and pray ; review 
and pray; hold fast. (2 Tim. 3 : 14-17 ; 2 Tim. 4: 7). Look for 
large results from the right study of the Word of God ; for a fuller 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 9 1 

knowledge of God as Father, Son and Holy Ghost ; and for the 
rich and abundant fruits of the Holy Spirit in daily life. (Gal. 5 : 
22, 23). — Selected. 



IV. THE PRAYER OF FAITH. 

1. State of Heart. — Helplessness. Matt. 15 : 25. Need, 
Matthew 14:30. Want, Acts 16:30. Distance, Luke 18:13. 
Guilt, Luke 15:21. Condemnation, Ps. 51 : 4. Defilement, Luke 
5:8. 

2. Looking to the Lord. — To Jesus, the Person, Heb. 
12:2. The able Saviour, Heb. 7:25. The willing Saviour, 
Matt. 8:3. The near Saviour, Heb. 10:22. Jesus, our Sacrifice, 
1 Cor. 5 : 7. Jesus, our Substitute, 2 Cor. 5 : 21. Jesus, our Sanc- 
tification, 1 Cor. 1 : 30. 

3. Confession. — Of sin, Ps. 51:3. Of specific sins, 1 John 
1 : 9. Of besetting sins, Heb. 12 : 1. Of past sins, Ps. 25 : 7. Of 
presumptuous sins, Ps. 15 : 3. Of secret sins. Ps. 19: 12. 

4. Supplication. — For pardon, Ps. 51:7. For purity, Ps. 
51:10. For the Spirit, Eph. 3 : 16. For Christ's indwelling, 
Eph. 3 : 17, first clause. For knowledge, Eph. 3 : 19. For saints, 
Eph. 6:18. For fellowmen, Rom. 10 : 1. 

5. Intercession. — Of the Spirit, Rom. 8:26. For others, 
I Tim. 2 : 1. Fur the Word, 2 Thess. 3 : 1. For the Church, 
Ps. 122:6. For ministers, Eph. 6:19. In the Spirit, Jude 20. 
Through Christ, 1 John 2:1, 2. 

6. Expectation of Faith. — Longing, Ps. 61 : 1. Promise of 
help, Ps. 91 : it. Promise of deliverance, Ps. 91 : 15. Promise of 
comfort, Ps. 60:15. Promise of rest, Matt. 11:28. Promise of 
gifts, Matt. 7 : 7. Satisfaction of all desires, Matt. 11 : 24. 

7. Importunity. — Constancy, 2 Chron. 15:2, last half. De- 
light, Ps. 37 : 5. Complete confidence, Ps. 37 : 5. Continuance. 
Luke 18 : 1 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 17. Persistence, Gen. 32 : 26. Repeti- 
tion, 2 Cor. 12:8, 9. Assurance, John 15:7. 

— Rev. H. M. Parsons. 



92 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 



V. WHAT A PRAYER-MEETING SHOULD BE. 

i. Regular and Punctual Attendance. — Heb. 10 : 25. 

2. Bring Others. — Num. 10 : 29. 

3. Come Praying. — John 12 : 21 ; John 15:5. 

4. Continue in Prayer. — Acts 1 : 4, 14. 

5. Avoid Criticism. — Ps. 133 : 1 ; Rom. 12 : 10 ; John 17 : 23 ; 

6. Participate promptly and heartily in the Exer- 
cises. — Col. 3 : 16 ; 2 Cor. 1 : 11 ; Heb. 4 : 16. 

7. Let all the Exercises be Brief. — Eccl. 5 : 2. 

8. Keep in Mind that we Speak and Sing before God. 
— 2 Cor. 12 : 19. 

9. Christian Testimony. — Ps. 40 : 10 ; 51 : 15 ; 63 : 3-5 ; 
119 : 171, 172 ; Isa. 43 : 10 ; Mai. 3 : 16, 17 ; Heb. 3:13; Jas. 5:6; 
Matt. 10 : 32, 33 ; John 12 : 42 ; 1 Cor. 1:5; 2 Cor. 8:7 ; Rom. 
10 : 9, 10. 

— Rev. W. F. Crafts. 



CHAPTER XI. 
A Plan for Each Meeting. 

Those meetings will prove the most refreshing and 
successful for which both pastor and people have 
made suitable preparation. And just how to make 
the meetings successful has been one of the important 
subjects which the ministerial conventions held in 
connection with the revival labors of Mr. Moody and 
Major Whittle have discussed. As a result, the 
attention of all the churches has been aroused to the 
importance of the subject, and the matter has been 
somewhat agitated by the religious press. And the 
answer to the whole matter is this : if we are to have 
successful prayer-meetings we must pray, work, and 
plan for them — in a word have an intelligent plan for 
each meeting. 

" We published last week," says the Interior, 
" some pertinent suggestions by a contributor as 
helps to prayer-meeting interest. We notice decided 
progress in the attention everywhere given to the 
question how to make meetings for prayer more in- 



94 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

teresting. And pastors and churches are beginning 
to plan for these meetings as they do for the Sunday- 
school service or for the Week of Prayer. People 
used to have an indefinite sort of idea that a prayer- 
meeting was self-propelling. In some quarters there 
has been a shrinking from studying and planning for 
that meeting, as if it implied some lack of reliance on 
the Holy Spirit. Just so the ranters used to decry 
pulpit preparation, relying instead on the direct 
operation of the Spirit. Such blind reliance spoils 
the sermon. 

" We are learning in all church work, he honors 
God most who is most diligent in the use of all means 
that tend to success. Therefore, let every method be 
tried by which the vitality and power of the prayer- 
meeting may be secured. Let us not be afraid of 
having a little well-planned machinery, even in a 
prayer-meeting. The idea that no prayer-meeting is 
good which is not voluntary and extemporaneous in 
the character of its exercises, should be discarded. 
When all hearts are full and minds alert, it will be 
sufficient to throw the meeting " open," though even 
then there is always the hazard that it may be spoiled 
by the very freedom which sometimes leads to high- 
est success. 

" But the responsibility for the prayer-meeting and 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 95 

its right conduct by no means rests with ministers 
alone. If every church member would hold his duty 
to be at the prayer-meeting to be as sacred as his 
business engagements, and being at the meeting, 
would refuse to be merely a sponge to absorb, but 
would communicate according to the gift that was in 
him, the complaint about dry meetings would cease, 
and the hour of prayer be, as it should be, the most 
delightful of all the week." 

But, perhaps the chief points which a definite plan 
should include relate to reading of the Scriptures, 
prayer, remarks, singing, voluntary parts, and the 
length of the meeting. 

1. Reading the Scriptures. The portion to be 
read for the evening lesson should be selected with 
care, and especial reference to the illustration of the 
evening's subject. It is very desirable that the 
people should follow the reading from their own 
Bibles, and in this way get into full sympathy with 
the truth to be presented as early as possible. It is 
often the ease that a meeting does not fully wake up 
until it is about time to be dismissed ; and so it has 
been remarked, If we could only begin the next 
meeting in the spirit and the enthusiasm with which 
this one closed, we should all be ready to sing, speak 
and pray. Do not slight the reading. The eloquent 



96 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

McAll is reported to have said : " If the Lord had 
appointed two officers in His church, the one to 
preach the Gospel, and the other to read the 
Scriptures, and had given me the choice of these, 
I should have chosen to be a reader of the inspired 
Word of God." And in point of fact there is no 
part of any religious service that can be slighted 
with safety. We ought to feel that one part is as 
important as another, and that God can bless even' 
the minutest particular to the conversion and edifica- 
tion of souls. A venerable minister testified in a 
clergyman's meeting that one of the most powerful 
impressions produced on his early life was made by 
Asahel Nettleton, the noted revivalist, in his reading 
the hymn, 

1 ' Ashamed of Jesus ! that dear Friend 
On whom my hopes of heaven depend." 

The truths of that hymn went home to his heart 
as nothing in his sermon did. He looked back over 
fifty years of service to thank God that one clergy- 
man had felt that the reading of the hymn was the 
great thing in the service — while the hymn was being 
read. 

2. It should never be forgotten that these meet- 
ings are meetings for prayer ; and hence, undue 
importance should not be given to speaking, nor 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 97 

should the remarks be suffered to monopolize the 
order of exercises. Prayers should be brief, pointed 
and fervent. The Bible contains over a hundred 
prayers, and these as having been inspired by the 
Holy Ghost should be our models. There are only 
two or three prayers in the Bible that run up to five 
minutes; of the rest, many of them are so brief as to 
have been uttered in a single breath. When Peter 
was sinking amid the angry waves, he did not have 
time for a general introduction and an eloquent per- 
oration. No! he had barely time to cry out, with 
intensity of purpose and need, " Lord, save me!" 
Had he taken more time the waves had swallowed 
him, and himself had been past all praying. It is 
said that a minister over a certain charge in the East 
found one of his prayer-meetings characterized by 
delay and formalism, and so to remedy this, he took 
out his watch and said, " Brethren, let us have sixty 
prayers in sixty minutes." He got them, and that 
meeting" came to be regarded as one of the most im- 
portant meetings that that church had ever held. 

And thus the element of time becomes very im- 
portant. The interest and success of the meeting, 
the number that can take part, and variety in the 
exercises themselves, will all depend upon the num- 
ber of minutes that each participant consumes. " In 



98 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

the great noonday prayer-meetings, whose interest 
and influence are unsurpassed, this is reckoned so 
important, that none are allowed to occupy more 
than three or five minutes. What is said should come 
from the heart in earnest, telling words. Lengthy 
exhortations are not effective, except in special cases. 
A leaf from the day's or week's experience, new 
light that y has been shed upon some passage of God's 
Word, the expression of a burden or a request — some 
of these things that lie nearest and freshest in our 
hearts, we may be sure will add much to the interest 
and success of the prayer-meeting ; but beyond that, 
we need to have the way pointed out very clearly if 
we go. If we make a mistake in regard to the time, 
let it be on the side of brevity." 

At the opening of the meeting it would be very 
appropriate to have a few brief prayers, with especial 
supplications for the increased manifestations of the 
Spirit's presence and power. " Nothing can make 
up for His absence. But if He be there (and no one 
is more ready to come) there is no estimating the 
good every church may do in its weekly prayer- 
meetings, do they but act up to their duty and their 
privilege." 

We have already indicated in Chapter III. how 
subjects of special prayer may be discovered for each 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 99 

meeting. As you visit your people, carry the inter- 
est of the prayer-meeting with you, and be alert to 
discover the spiritual wants of your people that are 
just then most urgent; and formulate these into ap- 
propriate requests for prayer, and either before or at 
the time of the meeting, and in connection with any 
written requests for prayer that may have been 
handed in, ask some one to pray for each particular 
case ; to the end that precious and useful lives may be 
spared, that the erring may be restored, that the 
tempted may be victorious, tliat the youth of the 
church may be led to Christ, that unconverted ones 
may find their Saviour, that " weak hands and feeble 
knees " may be confirmed, and that grace and 
strength may be imparted to each and to all for the 
systematic growth in grace of the whole church, and 
to the glory of God. " Pray for one another." 

3. Remarks. Let us suppose that you have ar- 
ranged a plan for the next meeting. You have 
given out the subject, or it is already known from the 
printed list, and you want several speakers. Very 
well : go and ask those you want, and secure their 
promise to be on hand and take the part assigned 
them. And that there may be considerable variety 
in the exercises, would it not be well to select two or 
three elderly persons, two or three middle-aged, and 



IOO THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

two or three young men, if you require that number 
of speakers for each meeting ? In this way all classes 
will be represented, and due prominence given to 
each. And especially ought converts to be encour- 
aged to openly confess and acknowledge Christ. It 
is a critical period with them; if they now come in 
to be silent members, the longer they continue silent, 
the more difficult it will be for them to speak and 
pray in public. At this time, it is comparatively easy 
for them to take part, for their experience is new and 
their hearts are full. 

4. Singing. This is an important part of the 
exercises in the successive meetings. Spiritual sing- 
ing will prove half of the whole meeting in the way 
of interest, profit, and success. The hymns should 
have point and life, and such organic connection with 
the progressive movement of the meeting, that they 
shall fit into their place, and be " the genuine out- 
growth of the state of feeling at that particular point 
in the meeting." Hence the hymns cannot, except 
in a general way, be selected in advance of the meet- 
ing. A meeting may be made to drag and prove 
tedious by the singing of long hymns, lengthened by 
a chorus to each verse. Some have found it to be an 
excellent rule not to sing more than two or three 
verses at a time. " Let us think," says Dr. W. M. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. IOI 

Taylor, " of what the sacrifice of praise is designed to 
do. It prepares the way for the descent of the Holy 
Spirit into the heart. Bring me a minstrel, said 
Elisha, and while listening to the music, the Spirit of 
the Lord came down, and he prophesied. Very 
frequently, through the music of the song of praise, 
the Spirit of God in His glory has come down and 
filled the living temple of the human heart. I heard 
the beautiful story about Toplady's conversion. He 
went into a barn in Ireland, where he heard a primi- 
tive Methodist minister preach the Gospel. At the 
close, the minister gave out the hymn, 4 Come ye 
sinners, poor and wretched.' It seemed to him then 
that the whole company took up the appeal from the 
minister's lips, and instead of one appeal there was 
that of hundreds. Then he gave his heart to Christ, 
and nobly did he honor the obligation in his later 
life, by laying on the altar of Christ the hymn that 
we are so fond of — 

' Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in Thee.' 

Then again, singing sustains the heart in trial. Very 
often in this country we are in the habit of serenad- 
ing our great men, but oh! no songs in the ear of 
God are like the sounds which go up from the hearts 



102 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

of God's children in the night of trial. He comes 
forth from His throne to speak words of comfort and 
cheer. Then again, it braces the heart for conflict. 
After his last supper, Christ sang an hymn — the Lord 
Jesus sang, and sang with Gethsemane in view, to 
brace himself up for conflict with the prince of this 
world. Who does not know, too, how Luther strung 
himself up for his Reformation work by that noble 
version of the forty-sixth Psalm, termed the Marseil- 
laise of the Reformation." " Let the word of Christ 
dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and 
admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and 
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to 
the Lord."— Col. 3: 16. 

5. Voluntary parts. It will be wise to have a 
place in every meeting for voluntary remarks. It 
should be our object to so conduct the meetings that 
eventually all its parts shall become voluntary; but in 
the meantime, so long as we cannot realize that in 
practice, there should be opportunity for every one 
to use the privilege. There may be strangers pre- 
sent, and these should be invited to take part; or 
some one may feel that he has something especial to 
say, and such should have the seasonable opportunity 
in which to say it. With the utmost liberty of this 
kind, no reasonable objection can be urged against 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 103 

the selection of a plan, which aims to obtain continu- 
ous movement in the parts of the meeting, and unity 
and progress in all the exercises. "Let everything 
be done decently and in order." 

6. Length of meetings. Uniform experience has 
limited the meeting to an " hour of prayer." Open 
and dismiss promptly. Do not wait for the people to 
come. Open promptly, even if you are the only one 
there, and if no one else should come, why, as Spur- 
geon says, " have it all to yourself; and if you are 
asked how many were present, you can say, ' Four.' 
'Four! how so?' 'Why, there was myself, and 
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy 
Ghost; and we had a rich and a real communion 
together." And also be as prompt in dismissing as in 
opening; so that the people may know just what to 
expect, and how to govern their engagements of 
friendship and business. If there is to be any varia- 
tion, let it be in favor of a shorter rather than a longer 
session. Send the people away unwearied and 
they will come again. 

Is it not evident, that such animated interest as 
judicious planning, working and praying — the united 
effort of pastor and people — would create in behalf of 
the prayer-meeting, would at once place and keep the 
church on a revival basis ? 



CHAPTER XII. 
Variety in Successive Meetings. 

Perhaps one reason why prayer-meetings are not 
more largely attended and enjoyed is found in their 
stereotype character. When you have attended one 
prayer-meeting of the church, you can tell what the 
rest will be like; for you have only to multiply by 
fifty-two in order to get the result for a whole year. 
In such cases it might be well to relieve the 
monotony and introduce greater variety by means of 
a change in the successive meetings. And with this 
end in view it might not be inexpedient to leave the 
people in doubt about the precise nature of the next 
meeting as to its plan, that thus they may come to 
it in a state of expectation. Variety in this respect 
might do much to sustain an interest in the meetings 
from week to week, and make them more generally 
attractive. Happy is he who both excites an interest 
and rewards it. 

The continued interest in the temperance reform, 
which, like a tidal wave, is sweeping over the land, is 
due, first to the subject, and next to the method the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. IO5 

leaders have adopted of introducing new speakers at 
each meeting, and having as a rule short speeches 
from each. Although it is the same subject, yet the 
new speakers that are constantly coming forward 
give novelty and freshness to the theme by their 
varied experiences while under the power of drink 
and its terrible temptations; and in their confessions 
and aspirations for a better life, they call for sympathy 
and help. Truth is stranger than fiction, and noth- 
ing is more interesting than life in its struggles, 
defeats and victories. We might learn a valuable 
lesson from their methods for the conduct of our 
prayer-meetings. 

Let us then enumerate some methods of variety for 
the conduct of successive meetings, that from these 
such selection may be made as circumstances require 
and the topics themselves will permit. 

1. Conduct the meeting in the usual way, and 
make as much as possible out of a method endeared 
by practice, and rendered valuable by the associations 
of the past. 

2. Let the next meeting be conducted as a Bible 
Reading on some absorbing theme of life and doc- 
trine. It will be necessary for the leader to carefully 
collect and classify all the passages of Scripture bear- 
ing upon the chosen subject and then assign the texts 

8 



I06 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

to the members, that they may be read in the order 
in which they have been numbered. The leader 
must secure a rapid movement for the readings and 
connect them by such remarks and anecdotes as will 
illustrate their application and teaching. At proper 
places prayer and song may be introduced, that thus 
the whole may be joined together and have unity and 
power. 

3. Variety may still further be secured by the 
announcement that the next meeting will be con- 
ducted on the voluntary plan. The topic should be 
announced, however, as nothing would be gained by 
leaving this an open issue. It may be stated, then, 
that on next week everything from first to last shall 
be voluntary, as " the Spirit may give utterance " and 
direction; and in connection with this, all should be 
urged to come with the desire and the expectation of 
taking part. Urge some to come with passages of 
Scripture, or verses from devotional hymns, to read or 
recite at a moment when there is danger of a " long 
pause," and in this way the meeting will prove as 
profitable and interesting as any that might be more 
carefully arranged for. 

4. After the voluntary plan has been tried, it 
might be well to go to the other extreme and ar- 
range for everything so far as designating the 
speakers and those who are to pray are concerned. 



THE PRAYER-MEETIING. 107 

The remarks should be directed to the topic, and 
those asked to pray should be requested to pray with 
special reference to the spiritual wants of the church, 
for the pastor, for the Sunday school, for the prayer- 
meeting, for the sick, for the afflicted, for the tried 
and tempted, and such other and kindred themes 
as the changing and growing needs of a community 
would be continually suggesting. Of course, it is un- 
derstood that the remarks and prayers are to be 
extempore and under the guidance of the Holy 
Spirit. In all our proceedings we should seek the 
presence of Christ, the love of God, and the teaching 
and illuminating power of the Holy Spirit. 

'* I need Thee every hour : 
Teach me Thy will ; 
And Thy rich promises 
In me fulfill." 

The prayer-meeting is not a debating society, but 
a meeting of the household of Christ, gathered for 
mutual sympathy, reciprocal Christian love, and the 
formation of a noble character. 

5. In some churches it might not be amiss to con- 
duct a meeting occasionally in which the reading of 
essays and correspondence shall take the place of set 
remarks and exhortations. The best time for such an 
order, would be the evening set apart to the "Monthly 
Concert," when a missionary topic is under consid- 
eration. It would not be difficult, perhaps, to secure 



108 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

correspondence from missionaries in foreign and 
home fields, letters from members that are traveling 
at home or abroad, and from former pastors and 
members who have gone to other churches ; these 
would doubtless be glad to send their greetings and 
stir up the pure minds of the brethren to greater 
zeal and activity, and such a method as this is entirely 
Scriptural ; for Paul concludes his first letter to the 
" Thessalonians " in these words : — " I charge you 
by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy 
brethren." See also Col. 4: 16. 

And in addition to one or two letters that might be 
secured in this way, members of the church — and the 
lady members more particularly — might be asked to 
prepare papers on the particular topic, to set forth the 
extent of the work in the particular field under view, 
the manners and customs of the people, their social 
religious and political life, helps and hindrances to the 
spread of the Gospel among them, their present 
urgent need, and other related themes. The prepar- 
ation for a meeting of this kind would tend to pro- 
mote the reading of history, develop a valuable liter- 
ary taste and lay the foundation for intellectual culture. 

6. A change of leaders has been tried in some 
churches with good results. Such method will de- 
velop the lay talent in a church, make them feel that 
the prayer-meeting is their meeting, and that they are 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. IO9 

responsible for its success, as well as create a confi- 
dence in their ability to conduct a good meeting. It 
will prevent the prayer-meeting from collapsing in 
case the church is without a pastor, or in case the 
pastor is absent on duties connected with his denomi- 
nation, or the church at large. It will also serve to 
run the prayer- meeting successfully through the 
pastor's vacation; for unless the interest is kept up 
continuously, the church too will take a vacation, and 
when the pastor returns he will discover that his 
church has not been growing in grace, but the rather 
losing ground under the inroads of a worldly spirit. 

7. Lastly, such special services as New Year's, 
Praise, Promise and Memorial-meetings may be pro- 
vided for in their appropriate season. 

But whatever be the method, whether the same 
plan is continuously followed or such variety is intro- 
duced as this chapter contemplates, there is no plan 
in itself that will guarantee success. That will depend 
upon spiritual conditions, and the time, prayer, study 
and effort which the leader shall give to the execution 
of the plan, and such enthusiasm for his plans as he 
may be able to awaken in his people. " Study to 
show thyself approved unto God, a workman that 
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word 
of truth." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Importance of the Prayer-Meeting. 

It is as important for the church in its collective 
capacity, to sustain the prayer- meeting, as it is for the 
individual believer to keep up his secret devotions. 
The Christian cannot grow in grace and in the 
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ; 
in spirituality and in power, without daily com- 
munion with God in prayer. This is the experience 
of both laymen and preachers. " Whenever a 
Christian backslides," says Spurgeon, u his wandering 
commences in his closet. I speak what I have felt. 
I have often gone back from God — never so as to fall 
finally, I know, but I have often lost that savor of 
His love which I once enjoyed. I have had to cry, 

'Those peaceful hours I once enjoyed, 

How sweet their memory still ! 
But they have left an aching void, 

The world can never fill.' 

" I have gone up to God's house to preach, without 
either fire or energy; I have read the Bible and 
there has been no light upon it; I have tried to have 
communion with God, but all has been a failure. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I I I 

Shall I tell where that commenced ? It commenced 

in my closet. I had ceased in a measure to pray. 

Here I stand and do confess my faults ; I do 

acknowledge that whenever I depart from God it is 

there it doth begin. O, Christians, would you be 

happy ? Be much in prayer. Would you be 

victorious ? Be much in prayer. 

' Restraining prayer, we cease to fight, 
Prayer makes the Christian's armor bright.' 

" Mrs. Berry used to say, ' I would not be hired out 
of my closet for a thousand worlds. 5 Mr. Jay said, 
c If the twelve apostles were living near you, and you 
had access to them, if this intercourse drew you from 
the closet, they would prove a real injury to your 
souls.' Prayer is the ship which bringeth home the 
richest freight. It is the soil which yields the most 
abundant harvest." 

Nor can churches enjoy any great measure of 
success in saving souls, unless they are praying 
churches. Praying churches will be revival churches 
— such will grow and prosper spiritually and 
temporally. Would you have a successful church; 
go and get them to pray ; go and get them 
to cultivate the " power of the knees," not 
only in their closets, but in their prayer-meet- 
ings. " Sirs," says Spurgeon, u I have no opinion 



112 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

of the churches of the present day that do 
not pray. I go from chapel to chapel in this 
metropolis, and I see pretty good congregations : but 
I go to their prayer-meetings on a week evening, and 
I see a dozen persons. Can God bless us, can He 
pour out His Spirit upon us, while such things as 
these exist ? He could, but it would not be accord- 
ing to the order of His dispensations, for he says, 
4 When Zion travails she brings forth children.' Go 
to your churches and chapels with this thought, that 
you want more prayer. Go home and say to your 
minister, c Sir, we must have more prayer.' We 
must have an outpouring of real devotion, or else 
what is to become of many of our churches ? O ! 
may God awaken us all, and stir us up to pray, for 
when we pray we shall be victorious. I should like 
to take you this morning as Samson did the foxes, 
tie the firebrands of prayer to you, and send you in 
among the shocks of corn till you burn the whole 
up. I should like to make a conflagration by my 
words, and set all the churches on fire, till the whole 
has smoked like a sacrifice up to God's throne." 

And the reason for this is evident. The Spirit 
is present with the believer as an unseen presence; 
" foi he dwelleth with you and shall be in you." 
The Spirit is given by measure to the believer 
according to the extent that the manifestation of His 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 13 

presence and power has been sought in prayer. To 
the Son God gave not His Spirit by measure, but 
the Spirit abode with him in His infinite fulness. 
With men, however, He dwells to the extent of their 
earnest seeking and finite capacity. As the Holy 
Spirit is already with the believer, His presence 
with an assembly or a prayer-meeting must mean that 
each one receives a larger portion of the Spirit, so 
that His presence is with power and demonstration. 
Beneath this divine outpoural all hearts melt, and they 
feel, with Jacob of old, " How dreadful is this place ! 
this is none other but the house of God, and this the 
gate of heaven." It was after the apostles had con- 
tinued with one accord in prayer and supplication, 
that the day of Pentecost came with open manifesta- 
tions of the Spirit's presence and power. The Spirit 
is poured out upon the assembly either visibly as 
at Penetcost (Acts 2: 33), or manifestly and feelingly 
as at a subsequent time, when " the disciples had 
prayed, the place was shaken where they were, and 
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they 
spake the word of God with boldness " (Acts 4: 31). 

We have all doubtless attended meetings where we 
felt the Spirit to be present with power and demon- 
stration, that is, when He was poured out upon the 
assembly in their collective capacity, and in answer to 
prayer, (Luke 11:9-13), was present to convict, 



114 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

convert and regenerate. In the revival meeetings 
held here last year, Major Whittle related an incident 
to illustrate this, which he had gathered from reliable 
sources in Kentucky. He was told that Tom 
Marshall when a student at college was present at a 
revival meeting, but at a certain stage got up and 
hastily left the room; for he felt, as he afterwards 
confessed, that he could not much longer have held 
out against the influence of the meeting. He was 
unwilling to give his heart to Christ, for he seemed 
convinced if he became a Christian, it would become 
his duty to relinquish his cherished profession, and 
become a preacher of the Gospel. Now where the 
church, through lack of prayer and consecration, is 
cold or lukewarm, or formal and indifferent, one is 
not oppressed and burdened with such convictions of 
duty, the Holy Spirit is not poured out upon them, 
and there is no increased manifestation of His presence 
and power. Piety will rise no higher in the church 
than it rises in the prayer-meeting. " I would not 
unite with a certain church," said a certain man, 
" because I know its members." 

Nor can the importance of the prayer-meeting to 
the church and the community at large be over-esti- 
mated. Heat up the prayer-meeting and the fires 
of secret devotion will burn more brightly. Heat up 
the prayer-meeting and you will heat up the pulpit. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. II5 

Ministers will preach with power when they have a 
praying church. " O ! " said Spurgeon, " had you 
seen an apostolic church, what a different thing it 
would appear to one of our churches! as different, I 
had almost said, as light from darkness; as different 
as the shallow brook that is dried by summer is from 
the mighty rolling river, ever full, ever deep and 
clear, and ever rushing into the sea. Now, where is 
our prayerfulness compared with theirs ; I trust that 
we know something' of the power of prayer here, but 
I do not think we pray as they did! They broke 
bread from house to house, and did eat their meat 
with singleness of heart, giving glory to God. 
There was not a member of the church, as a 
rule, who was half-hearted ; they gave their 
souls wholly to God ; and, when Ananias and 
Sapphira divided the price, they were smitten 
with death for their sin. O ! if we prayed 
as deeply and as earnestly as they did, Ave should 
have as much success. Any measure of success we 
may have had here has been entirely owing, under 
God, to your prayers ; and wherever I have gone, I 
have boasted that I have a praying people. Let 
other ministers have as prayerful a people ; let mis- 
sionaries have as many prayers from the Church; 
and, all things being equal, God will bless them, and 
there will be greater prosperity than ever." 



CHAPTER XIV. 

How to Make Prayer-Meetings Interesting. 

Not the least of the services which Mr. Moody and 
his co-laborers have rendered to the evangelism of to- 
day is the attention they have called to the conduct of 
the prayer-meeting, and how to make them interest- 
ing. Mr. Moody is well qualified to speak on this 
subject, inasmuch as his experience now covers nearly 
twenty years of service, in connection with the great 
noonday prayer-meetings of Chicago and his own 
church there, as well as, since leaving Chicago, with 
Christian workers in England and America. His 
views should be attentively considered. This chapter, 
then, is a transcript of his talks on the prayer-meeting, 
in answer to questions put to him in the " Ministe- 
rial Conventions," which were held in New York 
City in 1876, and in Boston in 1877. 

I. THE NEW YORK CONVENTION. 

I think this is one of the most important questions which can 
come before us. I believe more ministers fail right here than in any 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I I 7 

other place. Where one fails in a pulpit, I believe fifty fail in the 
prayer-meeting. I have noticed as I have been traveling up and 
down the country, and mingling with a great many ministers, that 
it is not the man that preaches the best that is most successful. You 
must get the people to pray. 

It is so much easier to preach to an audience who are praying for 
you than to those who are criticising you all the while. Now I find 
it a great help in a prayer-meeting to get the people close together ; 
if they won't come, I would take the chair and walk down amongst 
them. Then another important thing is to see that the ventilation 
is all right. A good many meetings are held in basements and 
small rooms, where there is no ventilation, where tne windows, 
perhaps, won't be opened through the winter ; where people get 
sleepy, and you think it is your fault. See that it is not too hot or 
too cold, and that the air is pure. It is a good thing to have a 
subject, suppose "faith," or "love," and let people know it a 
week before. Let the minister not always lead, for then when he 
goes off' there is a collapse. If he manages right, it seems t? me, he 
would get different leaders, so that when he goes oft' there will be 
no falling away. You may ask what we are going to do with those 
men who talk so long. Well, I would see them privately, and say, 
44 Now, try to be a little shorter." It would be a good thing, 
however, if the ministers would show a good example. They very 
often leave just fifteen minutes for the meeting, and complain of 
Deacon Jones taking up the rest of the time. They say everything 
they can think of on the chapter, and wonder why " the poor lay- 
men won't take it up." Why, if they say everything they can 
think of on a certain chapter, there is not much chance for a poor 
layman, especially if he don't know what the chapter is to be. If 
a man takes part in a meeting, he has got a little more interest in ft. 
There is a good deal of truth in what the old deacon said, that he 
always liked the meeting when he took part, and he didn't care for 
it when he didn' t take part. 

A delegate observed that the Congregational churches in New 
England had a rule that the minister should lead the prayer-meetings, 
for this reason : that it was found when ministers took the place of 



Il8 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

laymen in this matter, the latter took the leadership out of his 
hands. He asked Mr. Moody what he would do to prevent that. 
Mr. Moody replied that this was not his experience on the subject. 
Dr. Kirk, of Boston, of whose church he was a member twenty 
years ago, very seldom led the meeting ; neither did Dr. Cuyler 
usually lead in his own church prayer-meeting in Brooklyn. 

Q. Ought the minister to call on people to pray and speak ? A. 
My theory is one and my practice another. I have always advo- 
cated open prayer-meetings, but very often people get up whom we 
know nothing about, and talk too long, so I have lately to put the 
meeting in the hands of those on the platform. 

Q. Is it right to call on a man to pray when he is not in the 
spirit of prayer ? A. He should be in the spirit of prayer : but ■ 
that is one of the things which makes me object to call on men to 
pray. 

Q. What would you do with a brother who prays the same 
prayer over and over? A. I should see him privately and talk to 
him about his own soul. 

Q. Suppose you drive him away ? A. Let him go. Five will 
come and take his place. 

Q. Is it wise to adhere to a series of topics ? A. If it is in the 
way throw it overboard ; don't have a cast-iron rule. 

Q. Would it be well to make the Sunday-school lesson the sub- 
ject for the prayer-meeting ? A. If you have teachers' meetings 
better not. If you have not teachers' meetings I have known it to 
work pretty well. 

Q. Shall the women take part in our church prayer-meetings ? 
A. It is a controverted point. Let every prayer-meeting have its 
own way. 

Q. What about ringing the bell when a man is praying ? A. If 
the prayer don't go any further than his own head I would have 
no scruple in ringing the bell. 

II. THE BOSTON CONVENTION. 

Q. What shall we do with the awful pauses in our meetings ? 
A. They can be avoided, I think, if the minister is free and social 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. II9 

and makes every one feel at home. These pauses are just the times 
when that man or that lady who is not in the habit of speaking, can 
read a verse from God's Word which they have found precious to 
their souls. In this way they can gain confidence to speak. A 
good many people have an idea that they must follow the minister 
and preach a sort of sermon ; but a word from the Bible often car- 
ries great comfort. 

Q. Would you have children in the large prayer-meetings ? A. 
Well, there is danger in that. One great danger which is likely to 
beset children is spiritual pride. A great many people in the 
church, unfortunately, are foolish enough if a little boy speaks for 
Christ in a touching way to praise him ; and that makes him very 
proud. I should not like to have my child praised in this way. 
Children learn the sweetness of praise soon enough in the world. I 
should be a little afraid of having boys and girls encouraged to jump 
up in the large prayer-meetings. 

Q. Do you favor boys' prayer-meetings ? A. By all means, I 
have found no meetings more blessed in the work of conversion. 
The boys and the girls should meet by themselves under the direc- 
tion of some older person of experience as a leader. I have been 
very much interested in the meetings for little boys conducted here 
by Mr. Tastings. 

Q. How shall we get women to speak in prayer-meetings ? A. 
Well, if the meeting is free and social, as I said, I don't think there 
will be any who are afraid to speak. There are two ways of con- 
ducting a prayer-meeting. The minister may enter the room with 
his coat buttoned up, and looking neither to the right nor the left, 
take the desk and either go through the reading of a long hymn or 
make a long prayer. Of course a meeting begun in this way is stiff 
and formal, and there will be no sense of freedom. Then there is 
another way. The minister may enter the room in a friendly and 
social way, shaking hands with everybody and saying a pleasant 
word to all, and perhaps he will get the friends to select the opening 
hymn or ask some lady to read a passage of Scripture, and the 
meeting will be begun before they know it. If everybody would 
carry the Scriptures to the meetings there would be no trouble in 
keeping the meetings interesting. 



120 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

Q. Would you announce a subject for prayer previous to the 
meeting? A. I would. It has been done in our church in Chi- 
cago, and it has been a great help to our prayer-meetings. We 
want to have these meetings a sort of family gathering where a 
mother who has a son out of Christ can bring him before Jesus, 
and the whole church bear up her petition to the Lord. United 
prayer in faith that God will answer our petitions will surely bring 
back the blessing. 

Q. Would you encourage women to speak ? A. In a social 
prayer-meeting I would encourage any one to speak. We want to 
get all Christians at work in the service of Christ. 

Q. Do you believe in having different ones to lead the meeting ? 
A. Well, that plan has been tried. Dr. Cuyler found it very suc- 
cessful in his church in Brooklyn. He often takes a seat among 
the congregation while the leader conducts the prayer-meeting. 
One great secret of success is to get others to work. I would 
rather get ten men to work than do ten men' s work myself. 

Q. How ought prayer-meetings to be conducted in a church 
without a pastor ? A. With as much earnestness as possible. 
Sometimes God blesses specially a church when it is without a pas- 
tor because they trust in His grace and not in any arm cf flesh. 

Q. How would you break up the habit of long prayers ? A. I 
think ministers need find no trouble, if they are honest with their 
people. They like real plain talk. I should speak to a man mak- 
ing long prayers privately, not publicly, and say to him: "Your 
prayers need a little more unction, they are too long for the meet- 
ing." Exhortation ought not to take the place of prayer, but it 
is better to have an exhortation than a prayerless prayer. That is 
an abomination in the sight of God and men. Some people seem 
to keep on praying because they don' t know where to stop. Let 
there be always a distinct object in prayer. I have been dissatisfied 
at some of the men's prayer-meetings in the Tabernacle because 
men prayed for nothing but merely exhorted. The other night a 
man was telling God how great he was and how wonderfully he had 
made man; and a godly old saint who was better acquainted with 
the Lord said, " Just ask him for something.' ' 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 12 1 

Q. Suppose a man won't heed your advice to make prayer 
short ? A. I should speak to him again and again, and if that 
did not bring about the result, I would rebuke him publicly. I 
would have a bell at the meeting. One word — don' t rely on your 
prayers, but on Christ. Always remember that the salvation of 
Jesus is free, and that all may have it by simply taking it. 

Q. When do you consider a prayer to be too long ? A. Well, 
if the prayer-meeting is about an hour long, which I think about 
the proper length, it certainly can't be right for two or three men to 
take up the time. If a man has the cause of the Jews on his heart 
let him pray for them and then stop. It is awful to open one's 
eyes and see that a man is teaching his own views or criticising the 
opinions of other people when he seems to be praying. It chills me 
right through. 

Q. What would you do if a man, whose piety the church dis- 
trusts, attempts to speak ? A. I would never allow him to speak. 
The best way is to deal fairly and squarely with people. I would 
rather hurt a man's feelings than to have the Church injured. A 
man who pays fifty cents on the dollar when he could pay one 
hundred cents on the dollar had better keep still. 



CHAPTER XV. 
Uniform Topics. 

If there is any advantage in having a list of topics 
for an entire year, would not uniformity in all the 
churches secure the same benefits on an enlarged scale? 
That system in our public schools which takes the 
scholar from the " Kindergarten " progressively along 
until he graduates in the " High School," is wise and 
economical. The main fault to be found with the 
American scheme of education is this that it does not 
extend far enough. It would be an advantage to have 
an international system by which all our schools 
should have a common basis and run parallel with 
each other by successive steps from the " Kindergar- 
ten" to the University; and have such organic con- 
nection that a student would require no change in 
text-books and lose no rank in removing from Peoria 
to Chicago, or from New York to Boston. The 
Prussian system of education is doubtless more com- 
prehensive than our own in this respect, and it is well 
known that German scholarship is thorough-going 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 23 

and profound. The greater efficiency of a people, 
generally and systematically educated, over one less 
so, was well illustrated in the conduct and the speedy 
termination of the late French-Prussian war. A gun 
is all the more effective for being: held and controlled 
by a well-trained mind. The rank and file of the 
Prussian army were highly educated, and prince and 
peasant stood side by side for the patriotic defense of 
their fatherland. 

The writer expressed his views on this subject in an 
article that was published in the Interior a year ago, 
which are reproduced at this place, and were as 
follows: The fact that uniform subjects for Sunday- 
school study have been adopted in nearly all the Bible 
lands of the world shows the value that has been set 
upon system. Let us suppose that the Bible is so 
divided into chapters for daily reading, and verses for 
the thorough and systematic study of all the facts 
of the Bible, that the scholar is taken through the 
entire Bible once in seven years. Who does not see 
the advantage of such method in study? The feeling 
that all Christians the world over, on a given Sab- 
bath are reading and studying the same portion of 
Scripture, is very stimulating and significant. And 
besides, since the time this method has been adopted 
there has been a growing interest given to Bible 



124 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

study. It has stimulated explorations and geographi- 
cal surveys in Palestine ; and the commentaries, lesson- 
leaves, maps and helps of one kind and another called 
into circulation by it, can scarcely be over-estimated 
for value and importance. 

Now, then, would not something similar be bene, 
flcial for the prayer-meeting? If the former plan for 
study gives us the facts and principles of religion, why 
might not a series of topics be selected for each year 
that shall be especially adapted to the needs of daily 
Christian life, to Christian nurture and doctrine? In 
many of our churches the Sunday-school lesson has 
been used as the topic for the prayer-meeting. That 
plan has some advantages; for instruction on sys- 
tematic topics is far preferable to subjects selected at 
random. But a little different class of topics would 
prove more suitable for the prayer-meeting, namely 
the arrangement of Biblical truth with reference to 
daily life and growth in grace. Edification implies 
system, order and progress. By this plan, praise and 
promise meetings and special occasions might be suit- 
ably provided for, and all classes of Christians sys- 
tematically edified. (Eph. 4:12-16.) This would 
secure unity in the services of the prayer-meeting and 
give opportunity for all to come with special prayer 
and preparation with reference to a set topic. 



THE PRAYER-MEETIING. I 25 

It may be objected that by a plan like this the 
special needs of a particular congregation at a partic- 
ular time might be overlooked and neglected. That 
is true, but the remedy is simple. At such, a time 
omit the topic, make your own selection, annex 
appropriate texts of Scripture, and give notice in due 
time that the change has been made. But in the 
long run, nothing will be gained by making religion 
spasmodic. Nothing will more establish Christian 
life, faith and doctrine, than faithful induction into all 
the great Christian truths that edify the body of 
Christ. Is not the Bible Reading and the Bible 
Study which form so prominent a feature of the great 
revival of our day; nay, is not, in part, the revival 
itself under the Divine blessing, a result of the 
increased piety — prayer and work — which the uniform 
lessons have been instrumental in promoting in the 
ranks of the laity? Would not the adoption of uni- 
formity in suitable topics for the prayer-meeting, 
further the same end and make Christian life more 
and more like the shining light in Prov. 4:18? 

And in this connection the writer will add an 
extract from an article " On Uniform Topics for The 
Prayer-Meeting," which was furnished the Interior 
by the facile pen of the Rev. John Locke Martin, 
and is as follows : " The heading: and its embodied 



126 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

idea are not original with me, but I would like to 
add my mite of a word to help along this idea to a 
practical end. I have seen no suggestion of late 
which seems so promising of real benefit in our 
church work as this one of a uniform series of 
topics for the prayer-meeting. The very presenta- 
tion of the subject should be sufficient to lead to 
its hearty adoption, for it has every thing in its 
favor. I know not whether the experience is gen- 
eral, but find it to be the case with all with whom I 
have conversed, that one of the great hindrances 
toward making the prayer-meeting a success is a 
want of unity in the services, and therefore a want of 
special prayer and preparation on the part of the 
members. To simply announce from the pulpit on 
Sabbath the subject for the next week-day is not 
enough. Very frequently some of the best attend- 
ants at the prayer-meeting are absent from the sanct- 
uary services, and so miss the announcement. But if, 
like the Sabbath-school lesson, there was a printed 
series of topics, this, out of many objections would be 
avoided, — every one could know the topic. It is 
beyond question that the uniform system of Sabbath- 
school lessons has been a great help and blessing in 
this work. By this means we have reaped the benefit 
of system, which is the key-note of all successful 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 27 

work, and have stimulated a degree of Bible study 
never known before. And all of these advantages 
would accrue to the prayer-meeting if such a system 
would only be adopted by the different churches. It is 
simply a waste of writing to say that our prayer- 
meetings need all the helpful means that can be 
secured; for have not their dullness and coldness 
become proverbial ? " 

And the following list of topics is another com- 
mentary upon the article in whose favor Mr. Martin 
wrote with such choice terms of approbation. And 
here just a word of explanation may be proper. 
The writer was invited by the Rev. M. B. Lowrie to 
unite with him " in getting up a list of subjects for 
the coming year for our two churches." This was 
accepted with the understanding that other churches 
should be asked to join with us. A list was then pre- 
pared by consultation, and in its present form is 
mainly due to the selection of the Revs. M. B. 
Lowrie and J. M. Waddle. A copy of it was also 
published in the Interior, and other churches, if they 
saw their way clear, were cordially invited to unite 
with us in its use. So far as known to the writer this 
list is now being used with profit and acceptance by 
the following churches: Galesburg, Rev. M. B. 
Lowrie, pastor; Kirkwood, Rev. E. W. Thompson; 



128 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

Knoxville, Rev. J. M. Waddle; Lewistown, Rev. J. 
F. Magill; Mt. Sterling, Rev. J. G. Lowrie; Onarga, 
Rev. W. D. Magner; Peoria Calvary Mission, Rev. 
John Weston; Peoria Grace, Rev. H. S. Beavis; and 
Peoria Second, Rev. Lewis O. Thompson. 

TOPICS. 

Jan. 2. Opening of the year. Ex. 13 : 10 ; Deut. 14 : 22 ; Ps. 

102 ; 24-28 ; Deut. 32 : 7. 
" 9. The Sympathy of Jesus. John 11. 
"' 16. Working for God every day. Ps. 96 : 2 ; Heb. 3 : 13; 

Matth. 21 : 28. 
" 23. The Work of the Holy Spirit. Zech. 12: 10 ; Jno. 16 : 

8-14; Ro. 8: 16. 
" 30. Prayer for Schools. Is. 54 : 13 ; Dan. 1:17; Prov. 1 : 

5 ; Hos. 4: 6. 
Feb. 6. Monthly Concert. China and the Chinese in America- 

Ps. 2:8. 
" 13. The Helping Hand. Gal. 6 : 1-10. 
" 20. Sources of Christian Life and Growth. Acts 20: 32; 

John 15 : 4; Deut. 8:311 Pet. 2 : 2. 
" 27. Out into the Highways. Luke 14: 16-24; Mark 

10 : 46. 
Mar. 6. Monthly Concert. Mexico and N. Mex. Ps. 119: 130. 
" 13. Why Read the Bible? Jno. 20 : 31 ; 2 Tim. 3: 15-17 ; 

1 Thes. 2:13; 1 Ki. 2 : 3. 
" 20. How to Read the Bible. Acts 17: 11; Job 23: 12; 

Jer. 15 : 16. 
" 27. Work and Wages. Matth. 20: 1-16. 
April 3. Control of the Tongue. Jas. 1:26; Jas. 3:5-13; 

Matth. 12 : 36 ; Ps. 141 : 3. 
" 10. Monthly Concert. India. Dan. 7 : 14. 
* 17. Seed Time. Ec. 11: 6; Ps. 126: 6. 
" 24. Psalm 34. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 29 

May 1. Temperance. Eph. 5 : 18 ; Ps. 94: 20. 
" 8. Monthly Concert. Siam and Laos. Ro. 10:14-15. 
" 15. The Believer's Relation to Christ. John 15 : 1-8 ; Ro. 

8: 17; Eph. 5 : 30. 
11 22. Personal Religion. Ps. 27 : 8 ; Ps. 17 : 4-9 ; 1 Cor. 9: 

27; Ps. 39: 1. 
** 29. Family Religion. 2 Samuel 6 : 20 ; Gen. 18 : 19 ; Josh. 

24: 15. 
June 5. Monthly Concert. Africa. Ps. 68 : 31. 
" 12. Christ's Love for his Church. Jno. 10 : 11; Eph. 5: 

25-26 ; Eph. 4: 11-13. 
19. Gospel Manna. Ex. 16 : 15 ; Jno. 6 : 48 ; Ps. 119 : 103. 
" 26. Under the Juniper Tree. 1 Kings 19 : 4; Jer. 20: 7-9 ; 

Ps. 73. 
July 3. Christian Patriotism. 1. Sam. 12:20-25; Deut. 17: 

18-20 ; Ro. 10 : 1 
* ' 10. Monthly Concert. N. American Indians. 1 Cor. 9 : 

16-17. 
4< 17. How to keep the Sabbath. Ex. 20: 8-11 ; Luke 14: 

1-25 ; Neh. 13 : 15-23. 
*' 24. My Duty to the Prayer-Meeting. Heb. 10 : 25 ; Mai. 

3: 16. 
" 31. The Promises attending the Word. Is. 55 : 10 ; 1 Pet. 

1 : 18-25. > 
Aug. 7. Psalm 27. 
" 14. Monthly Concert. South America. Prov. 14:34. 
" 2.1. Planning for Business. Jas. 4:13; Luke 12:18; 

Deut. 31 : 12-13. 
*'- 28. The Trials of Faith. Gen. 12 : 1 ; Matth. 15 : 21 ; id. 

16 : 21 ; Mark 7 : 24 ; id. 8 : 26. 
Sept. 4. Monthly Concert. Japan. John 4 : 9-10. 
44 11. Advantages of Christian Society. Acts 28:15; 1 

Thes. 3:1; Jno. 11:5. 
" 18. Confession of Sin. Hos. 5 : 15 ; Ps. 51 : 3. 
" 25. Helps and Hindrances to Spiritual Prosperity. Prov. 

30: 7-9; Luke 12: 13-21. 



I3O THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

Oct. 2. The Earth bringeth forth Fruit. Ps. 65 : 11. Mark 4: 
28 ; Deut. 33 : 14 ; Heb. 3 : 17. 

" 9. Monthly Concert. Persia. Matth. 2:12. 

" 16. The Danger of neglecting the Gospel. Heb. 2 : 3. 

" 23. The Connection of Peace with Faith. Ro. 5 : I. 

" 30. Christ's Death for Sin. Is. 53 ; Ro. 5 : 8. 
Nov. 6. Monthly Concert. Papal Europe. Ro. 1: 15. 

" 13. The Bible Doctrine of Conscience. Jer. 6: 15 ; 1 Tim.. 
4:2; Heb. 9: 14; Acts. 23: 1. 

" 20. Visiting the Sick and Helping the Destitute. Jas. 1 : 27 ; 
Matth. 25 : 40. 

" 27. Reasons for Thankfulness. Eph. 5 : 20. 
Dec. 4. Monthly Concert. Syria. Acts 13 : 44-49. 

" 11. Honor God with thy Substance. Prov. 3 : 9. 

'• 18. Patience under Discouragements. Rev. 2:3-7; Acts 

27-33- 
" 25. Faithful unto Death. Rev. 2 : 10. 



CHAPTER XVI. 
Steps Toward^ Uniformity. 

Let us enumerate some of the steps which have 
been taken by the church at large in the direction 
of uniform topics for the prayer-meeting. 

It may be supposed that the use of the international 
•series of Sunday-school lessons in all Christian lands, 
and their general adaptability to the purpose for 
which they have been selected, has given the hint to 
the prayer-meeting. If that has proved an advan- 
tage, why will not this also? Nor need we look 
upon the exposition of the topics by the religious 
press as tending to destroy thought, original research 
and experience; not at all, but rather as illustrations- 
of topical treatment, which, while it does not take the 
place of thought, may largely invigorate it, and give 
it a hopeful, useful and intelligent direction. And 
with this proof of practical benefit which that 
pioneer, the International Series, from many years of 
successful trial has already presented, it will be much 
easier for uniform topics in the prayer-meeting to- 



I32 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

step into use and favor; for whatever are the objec- 
tions to be urged against the latter, they apply with 
equal force against the former. 

But uniformity in topics for the prayer-meeting all 
over the world has been secured for just one week in 
the year — the Week of JPrayer. This shows, when 
great results are looked for in connection with prayer 
that uniform action is desirable. But if this is desir- 
able for one week, why is not for fifty-two weeks? 
And will any one say that the meetings during the 
Week of Prayer lack interest and profit? 

The fact that some churches are in the habit of* 
using the Sunday-school lessons as subjects for the 
prayer-meeting is an indication that topics with 
which the people may make themselves familiar are 
relished better than the custom which gives them no 
topics at all. 

It has already come to the knowledge of the 
writer, that a number of churches in different parts of 
the land have united in the use of a list of subjects, 
besides those mentioned at the close of our last chap- 
ter. The first list, as given below, was used last 
year by the seven Presbyterian churches of Detroit, 
viz: First Presbyterian, Fort Street; Jefferson 
Avenue, Westminster, Calvary, Union, and Central. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 33 



TOPICS. 

Jan. 5. " This Year Also." Luke 13:6-9. 

9. Young People' s Meeting. Wisdom's Call. Prov. 1. 

11 10. The Prayer for Pardon. Ps. 51. 

'■ 11. Renewal of Covenant. Ezra 10:1-14. Neh. 9 : 38. 

" 12. Preparatory Lecture. 

19. Monthly Concert. The Outlook. The Last Com- 

mand. Mark 16: 15-20. 

25. Prayer for Colleges. Consecrated Learning. Acts 7 : 
20-22; Heb. 11:23-27. 

44 26. The Faithful God. Duet. 7 : 6-13. 

Feb. 2. Monthly Concert. China and Chinese in U. S. 

9. Christ's Hour of Joy. Luke 10:21-24; Matt. 11: 
25-30. 

16. Misplaced Pity. Luke 23 : 26-28. 

44 23. A Good Conscience. Job 31 : 19-32. 

Mar. 2. Monthly Concert. Mexico and New Mexico. 

9. Preparatory Lecture. 

44 16. Ignorant Prayer. Mark 10 : 35-40. 

44 23. The Helper of Our Infirmities. Rom. 8 : 26, 27. 

44 30. Prayer and Action. Ex. 14:13-16. 

Apr, 6. Monthly Concert. India. 

13. Micah's Religion. Judges 17. 

20. Reward of Self-denial. Matt. 19: 27-30. 
44 27. Responsibility Declined. Exod. 4:10-16 

May 4. Monthly Concert. Siam and Laos. 

11. Preparatory Lecture. 

18. The Filial Spirit. Rom. 8 : 14-17. 

25. Obscure Workers. Jer. 38 : 7-13; John 1 : 40-46. 

June 1. Monthly Concert. Africa. 

44 8. Youthful Lives Contrasted. 2 Kings 21: 1-9; 22. 

44 15. Christ's Standard of Righteousness. Matt. 5 : 20. 

22. The Glory of the Word. Ps. 19:7-14. 

29. The Household of God. Eph. 2: 19-22. 



134 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

July 6. Preparatory Lecture. 

14 13. Monthly Concert. N. A. Indians. 

11 20. Perpetuated Sin. 2 Kings 17 121-23. 

27. Telling of Christ. John 4:28-39. > 

Aug. 3. Monthly Concert. South America. 

" 10. The Severity of Christ. Mai. 3 : 1-6; Matt. 3: 10-12. 

44 17. The Year of Jubilee. Levit. 25 : 10-16 ; Luke 4 : 16-30. 

24. Stumbling at the prosperity of the Wicked. Ps. 73. 

" 31. The Christian's Portion. 1 Cor. 3:21-23 

:Sept. 7. Preparatory Lecture. 

•■• 14. Monthly Concert. Japan. 

44 21. The Complete Body. 1 Cor. 12 : 14-31. 

" 28. Daily Gleaning. Ruth 2 : 19 ; 2 Cor. 9: 6-11. 

Oct. 5. Monthly Concert. Persia. 

" 12. Household Religion. Deut. 6. 

" 19. The Service of Song. Eph. 5 : J 8-20. 

44 26. The Vanity of Worldly Good. Eccl. 2. 

Nov. 2. Monthly Concert. Papal Europe. 

9. Preparatory Lecture. 

44 16. Heard from the Beginning. Dan. 9:20-23. 

44 23. The Law of Edification. 1 Cor. 14 : 26. 

30. To Every Man His Work. Mark 13: 34; Eph. 4:7. 

Dec. 7. Monthly Concert. Syria. 

14 14. The Prayer of Moses. Psalm 90. 

44 21. Thomas' Doubt and Faith. John 20 : 24-31. 

44 28 Our House from Heaven. 2 Cor. 5: 1-5. 

To what extent this second list is being used the 
writer is unable to say; but some of those who have 
been previously using prepared topics, speak of the 
practice in the highest terms.* 

* The Rev. J. C. McClintock commends it in the following words : " For a 
year past a number of pastors have used the same topics in their prayer- 
meetings. The result has been so helpful, that they are uniting in the same 
plan for 1878, and they ask you to join them in what has proved a delightful 
means of Communion. The Topics have been furnished by several of our 



I2.f 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 35 

TOPICS. 
Jan. 2. God's Presence with us. Ex. 32 : 12-23. 
The Week of Prayer. 

44 16. The Gracious Invitation. Is. 55 : 1-9. 

" 23. Will You Accept It? John 12 : 42-50. 

" 30. Prayer for Schools. Prov. 3:13-26. 

Feb. 6. Go, Preach the Gospel. Mark 18 : 15-20. 

'•■ 13. The Sinner's Danger. Gen. 19 : 12-22. 

" 20. The Refuge. Col. 1 : 13-22. 

44 27. The Sister's Choice. Luke 10 : 38-42. 

Mar. 6. From Darkness to Light. Acts 26 : 16-23. 

13. The Lord's Prayer. Matt. 6:5-15. 

1 * 20. Secret and Family Prayer. Acts. 10 : 1-20. 

44 27. The Prayer of Faith. Matt. 15 : 21-28. 

Apr. 3. Zion's Prospects. Is. 40:1-11. 

10. What Shall I Do With Jesus? Matt. 27 : 19-35. 

" 17. What May I Do for Jesus? Matt. 25 : 31-40. 

" 24. Not Here, but Risen. Luke 24 : 1-12. 

May 1. What Can She Do? Mark 14 : 1-9. 

44 8. The Comforter. John 14: 15-27. 

44 15. Thy Poor Brother. Deut. 15 : 7-11. 

44 22. Cure for Thought-Taking. Matt. 6 : 25-35. 

44 29. The Solution of Doubt. John 7: 1-18. 

June 5. Fields White to Harvest. John 4:30-32. 

44 12. The Teacher's Preparation. Ezra 7: 10- 

44 19. The Teacher's Reward. Luke 10: 16-24. 

44 26. Quality not quantity. Judges 7 : 1-9. 

^experienced pastors, who have aimed to give a due proportion to Devotion, 
Doctrine, Christian Experience and Daily Life." '* I have been astonished 
to find so many Churches using Topics of nearly the same form. Let us 
have them in our Presbyterian Church, the same.— Rev. J. M. Bishop, 
Lebanon, Ind. "I am heartily interested in the scheme. We have used 
the list for 1877, with great profit."— Rev. E.P. Whallon, Liberty, Ind. 
" There is much good to be derived from these topical prayer-meetings. 
They keep the Church in a chronic state of revival."— Bex. J. M. Nourse, 
Athens, Ohio. " As to the • communion prayer-meeting topics,' I am deeply 
interested."— Rev. T. H. Clelland, Council Bluffs, la. "I have used the 
prayer-meeting topics during the past year, with great acceptance to my 
people."— Rev. Chas. Little, Wabash, Ind. 



I36 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

July 3. Declaration of Dependence. Josh. 24:21-29. 

44 10. The Friend of Sinners. Luke 7 : 40-50. 

44 37. A Prosperous Man. Gen. 39 : 1-6. 

44 24. Soul Prosperity. 3 John 1 : 8- 

44 31. A Peculiar People. 1 Peter 2: 9-17. 

Aug. 7. Open Doors. Rev. 3 : 7-13. 

44 14. Eli's Failure. 1 Sam. 2 : 27-36. 

44 21. Two Paths. Gen. 13:8-18. 

44 28. The Saviour. Acts 13 : 23-33. 

Sept. 4. The King. Ps. 2 : 1-12. 

44 11. The Shepherd. John 10: 1-10. 

44 18. Astray and Asleep. Jonah 1:1-12. 

44 25. The Stone Rolled Away. Mark 16: 1-16. 

Oct. 2. Christian Giving. 2 Cor. 9: 5-15. 

44 9. Armor and Strength. 1 Sam. 17 : 37-50. 

4 16. The Penitent's Prayer. Ps. 51 : 1-19. 

44 23. Saved. 1 John 5: 9-21. 

44 30. Joy. 1 Peter 4: 13-19. 

Nov. 6. Our Work. John 1 : 35-49. 

44 13. The Spirit's Work. John 16 : 1-14. 

44 20. Daniel — Greatly Beloved. Dan. 9:17-23. 

44 27. The Year's Blessings. Ps. 65 : 1-13. 

Dec. 4. Times of Refreshing. Mai. 3 : 10-18. 

44 11. Justified Faith. James 2: 14-26. 

44 18. No Continuing City. Heb. 13 : 5-15. 

44 25. Good Tidings. Luke 2 : 8-19. 

But a movement on a still larger scale has already 
been inaugurated, the one from Chicago as a center, 
and the other from London, towards uniformity, 
which in the means of securing it is a great and im- 
portant discovery. Its existence came to the knowl- 
edge of the writer only a few weeks ago, but happily 
in time to fit into its place here as another in the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 37 

series. This plan is already solving the difficulties 
connected with uniformity. And from the sketch 
to be introduced it is plain that no single person is en- 
titled to the claim of exclusive discovery. It is ev- 
idently the prompting of that same Spirit who has 
access to all Christian hearts. It is generally the way 
when He desires to inaugurate and carry forward a 
great movement that He prepares the way for it by 
working upon the mind of the Church at large. A 
perusal of the following sketch from the pen of Miss 
E. Dryer will more and more convince us of this: 

BIBLE READING AND PRAYER ALLIANCE. 
The object of this Alliance is to promote the united prayerful 
study of the Holy Scriptures. Pastors of churches, Superintend- 
ents and Teachers of Sabbath Schools, and Christians everywhere, 
are cordially invited to co-operate in this effort, and to make the 
seven chapters of the week, or subjects taken therefrom, the fre- 
quent theme of meetings for Bible study. Any Christian may 
organize a class of readers, and thus many unsaved persons may be 
brought to the teaching of the Word of God. 

The Committee who recommend this Alliance is composed of 
representatives chosen by their respective denominations and societies 
in the city of Chicago to promote this work. 

T. W. Harvey, Pres. Y. M. C. A., Chairman. 

Rev. Bishop C. E. Chenfy, Reformed Episcopal. 

Rev. Dr. D. B. Cheney, Baptist. 

Rev. Dr. J. Monro Gibson, Presbyterian. 

Rev. Dr. E. P. Goodwin, Congregationalist. 

Rev. Dr. Edward Sullivan, Episcopal. 

Rev. Dr. John Z. Tongerson, Lutheran. 

Rev. Dr. W. C. Willing, Presiding Elder, M E. C. 

Mrs. W. H. Goodrich, Bible Work, Cor. Sec. and Treas. 

Miss E. Dryer, Bible Work, Rcc. Sec'y. 

10 



138 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 



The Bible Reading and Prayer Alliance had its begin- 
ning January ist, 1877, in a small morning prayer-meeting in Chi- 
cago. There was then no purpose of extending it beyond the 
circle of a few Christian friends. But, in God's providence, so 
rapidly did the united interest spread, that a Scripture calendar was 
prepared, and very soon the first five thousand had found their 
way, with care, into churches, Sunday-schools, hospitals, boarding- 
houses, families, not only in the city, but in different parts of the 
State and in distant States. 

The effort received its first marked impulse in a conference of 
Christian ladies of different denominations, who met weekly for 
Bible study and prayer ; most of whom were engaged in the active 
Christian work of cottage prayer-meetings and house to house visi- 
tation which attended and followed the Moody meetings of that 
winter. 

These Christian workers were bound together, under the name of 
the " Bible Work Association," by the following 

agreement : 

We, the undersigned, purpose 

I. To read the Bible together daily, praying the Holy Spirit to 
guide us into all truth, according to our Lord' s promise : John 16:13. 

II. To pray daily for each other, that we may grow in grace 
and a knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ ; 2 Pet. 3:18. 

III. To meet together weekly and monthly for prayer and con- 
ference and study of the Scriptures, that we may thereby be better 
prepared to present to the lost, salvation in Jesus Christ, and to lead 
His church to seek the things that are above, where He sitteth on 
the right hand of God ; Col. 3:1. 

IV. By personal conversations, prayer-meetings, Scripture 
readings, and other Christian efforts, to present Christ as the 
Saviour of the lost, and to present help to all who are weary and 
heavy laden. Matt. 1 1 : 28. 

In a few months, it was evident that the Lord was extending the 
work beyond the control of any such organization of active mem- 
bership as was at first contemplated, and yet not a line had ap- 
peared in print concerning it. 

In June, the Secretary learned through a newspaper item, that 
in January, 1876, a similar union was formed in London, under the 
leadership of the Rev. Thomas Richardson, London, which num- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 39 

bered the first year about 18,000 members, and which has extended, 
through missionaries, to Arabia, China, Persia and India. 

It then became more than ever apparent that our Lord was exe- 
cuting a loving purpose of uniting His Church in prayer and Bible 
study, in a new and great degree; and increased and systematic 
efforts were made to establish the wide-spread work which had 
grown from such small beginnings. 

The present Committee, representatives of Evangelical denomina- 
tions and societies in Chicago, convened in October, 1877, and 
under the new name organized to promote the objects of this 
alliance. It was thought best to spend six months in the New Tes- 
tament and six months in the Old Testament ; beginning January 
with Matthew, and reading the first two gospels and the Pauline 
epistles ; and in June to begin Genesis, reading historic parts of the 
Old Testament during the remainder of the year. 

From these Daily Readings the committee have selected fifty-two 
topics, which, following the practice instituted at the beginning, 
may be conveniently used in weekly meetings, and which present the 
advantage of united study and preparation on the part of those who 
use them. 

A similar course has, during the last year, in some parts of our 
country, been followed with good results, in church prayer-meetings, 
cottage meetings, and meetings organized for Bible study. 

We hope that in Churches, Sabbath Schools and Christian com- 
munities, Christians who are interested to forward this Union of 
Bible study and prayer, will send us their names at once. We shall 
issue cards of membership to such, and to all others who, for the 
year, desire them. 

To induce others to read the Bible systematically, is one of the 
easy and most fruitful sources of Christian effort. 

Old and young, sick and well, may find successful work in this 
line. One feeble Christian, in a community where there is no 
church, may through faith and prayerful effort, form a. society in 
which the word of God shall grow, until the sower and reapers 
shall rejoice together in heaven amid the gathered harvest. Deut. 
8:3; Actb 6 ' 7 ; Acts 17 : 11 ; Col. 1:5, 6 ; John 15:3; Matt. 

13- 3-9- 

God has promised to bless his own word. Isa. 55:10, 11, 
Matt. 24: 35. 

And the following " Calendar " for Daily Scripture 
Reading has been prepared by the Committee of 
the Alliance for the year 1878: 



140 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 



CALENDAR 



Jan. 


Feb. 


Mar. 


Apr. 


May. 


June. 


1 Matt. 1 


1 Mark 4 


1 Acts 


16 


1 i 


Cor. 3 


1 Gal. 4 


1 2Tim.i 


2 " 


2 


2 " 


5 


2 


a 


17 


2 


it 


4 


2 " 5 


2 <4 2 


3 " 


3 


3 " 


6 


3 


a 


18 


3 


u 


5 


3 « 6 


3 " 3 


4 " 


4 


4 " 


7 


4 


u 


19 


4 


u 


6 


4 Eph. 1 


4 " 4 


5 " 


5 


5 " 


8 


5 


(i 


20 


5 


(( 


7 


5 " 2 


5 Titus 1 


6 « 


6 


6 " 


9 


6 


« 


21 


6 


« 


8 


6 « 3 


6 " 2 


7 « 


7 


7 " 


10 


7 


<( 


22 


7 


(I 


9 


7 " 4 


7 " 3 


3 «' 


8 


8 " 


11 


8 


« 


23 


8 


<t 


10 


8 rt 5 


8 Phil. 1 


9 " 


9 


9 " 


12 


9 


u 


24 


9 


u 


11 


9 « 6 


9 Heb. 1 


10 " 


10 


10 l < 


13 


10 


« 


25 


10 


« 


12 


10 Phil. 1 


10 " 2 


11 « 


11 


11 " 


14 


11 


u 


26 


11 


« 


13 


11 " 2 


11 " 3 


12 " 


12 


12 " 


15 


12 


u 


27 


12 


l« 


14 


12 " 3 


12 " 4 


13 " 


13 


13 u 


16 


13 


<l 


28 


13 


c< 


15 


13 u 4 


13 " 5 


14 " 


14 


14 Acts 


1 


14 Rom. 1 


14 


(( 


16 


14 Col. 1 


14 " 6 


15 " 


15 


15 " 


2 


15 


<< 


2 


15 


2Cor. 1 


15 " 2 


15 " 7 


16 " 


16 


16 " 


3 


16 


<c 


3 


16 


u 


2 


16 4< 3 


16 " 8 


17 " 


17 


17 " 


4 


17 


u 


4 


17 


u 


3 


17 " 4 


17 " 9 


18 " 


18 


18 " 


5 


18 


a 


5 


18 


a 


4 


18 iThss.i 


18 " 10 


19 " 


19 


19 " 


6 


19 


u 


6 


19 


u 


5 


19 " 2 


19 " 11 


20 " 


20 


20 " 


7 


20 


a 


7 


20 


4t 


6 


20 l< 3 


20 " 12 


21 « 


21 


21 " 


8 


21 


a 


8 


21 


C( 


7 


21 u 4 


21 " 13 


22 w 


22 


22 " 


9 


22 


u 


9 


22 


a 


8 


22 " 5 


22 Gen. 1 


23 " 


23 


23 " 


10 


23 


a 


10 


23 


a 


9 


23 2 Thssi 


23 li 2 


24 " 


24 


24 " 


11 


24 


it 


11 


24 


u 


10 


24 " 2 


24 " 3 


25 " 


25 


25 " 


12 


25 


(( 


12 


25 


a 


11 


25 " 3 


25 M 4 


26 " 


26 


26 " 


13 


26 


a 


13 


26 


C4 


12 


26 1 Tim. 1 


26 " 5 


27 " 


27 


27 " 


14 


27 


« 


14 


27 


u 


13 


27 " 2 


27 " 6 


28 " 


28 


28 " 


15 


28 


« 


15 


28 Gal. 


1 


28 " 3 


28 lt 7 


29 Mark 1 






29 


u 


16 


29 


u 


2 


29 " 4 


29 « 8 


30 " 


2 






301 


Cor. 1 


30 


(t 


3 


30 " 5 


30 " 9 


31 " 


3 






31 


a 


2 






31 « 6 





THE PRAYER-MEETING. 



HI 



CALENDAR. 



July. 


Aug. 


Sept. Oct. 


Nov. 


Dec. 


1 Gen. 10 


1 Gen 


.41 


1 Ex. 


22 1 Nu. 


12 


1 Deut. 7 


1 Josh 3 


2 ' 


' 11 


2 " 


42 


2 " 


23 


2 " 


13 


2 " 8 


2-4 


3 ' 


1 12 


3 " 


43 


3 " 


24 


3 " 


14 


3 " 9 


3 " 5 


4 ' 


' 13 


4 " 


44 


4 " 


25 


4 " 


15 


4 a 10 


4 u 6 


^ * 


1 14 


5 " 


45 


5 " 


26 


5 " 


16 


5 " 11 


5 " 7 


6 ' 


' 15 


6 " 


46 


6 " 


27 


6 " 


17 


6 §l 12 


6 " 8 


7 ' 


* 16 


7 


47 


7 " 


28 7 


iS 


7 " 13 


7 «* 9 


S < 


1 17 


8 " 


48 


8 " 


29; 8 « 


19 


8 •' 14 


8 « 10 


9 ' 


1 18 


9 " 


49 


9 " 


30: 9 '* 


2U 


9 " 15 


9 " 11 


10 ' 


4 19 


10 " 


50 


10 " 


3110 *' 


21 


10 " 16 


10 6i 12 


11 ' 


' 20 


11 Ex. 


1 


11 " 


32 11 *' 


22 


11 " 17 


11 " 13 


12 * 


4 21 


12 " 


2 12 " 


33 !i2 « 


23 


12 " 18 


12 " 14 


13 * 


< 22 


13 " 


3 


13 " 


34|13 - 


24 


13 " 19 


13 il 15 


14 < 


4 23 


14 « 


4 


14 " 


35JI4 " 


25 


14 4< 20 


14 " 16 


15 ' 


* 24 


ic " 


5 


15 " 


3615 " 


26 


15 " 21 


15 " 17 


16 < 


1 25 


16 « 


6 


16 ' 4 


37 16 « 


27 


16 " 22 


16 « 18 


17 ' 


4 26 


17 " 


7 


17 " 


38 


17 " 


28 


17 - 23 


17 " 19 


18 ' 


' 27 


18 " 


8 


18 «• 


39 


18 " 


29 


18 '« 24 


18 « 20 


19 ■ 


1 28 


19 " 


9 


19 " 


40 


19 " 


30 


19 " 25 


19 " 21 


20 ' 


■ 29 


20 " 


10 


20 Num. 1 


20 " 


31 


20 u 26 


20 " 22 


21 ' 


1 30 


21 u 


11 


21 " 


2 


21 " 


32 


21 " 27 


21 '• 23 


22 c 


1 3i 


22 " 


12 


22 " 


3 


22 " 


33 


22 u 28 


22 " 24 


23 ' 


. 32 


23 u 


13 


23 " 


4 


23 " 


34 


23 u 29 


23 Ps. 135 


24 ' 


' 33 


24 " 


14 


24 " 


5 


24 u 


35 


24 " 30 


24 " 136 


25 ' 


' 34 


25 " 


15 


25 " 


6 


25 « 


36 


25 " 31 


25 ' 4 144 


26 ' 


1 35 


26 " 


16 


26 " 


7 


26 Deut. 1 


26 " 32 


26 * k 145 


27 ' 


' 36 


27 " 


17 


27 " 


8 


27 " 


2 


27 " 33 


27 li 146 


28 ' 


' 37 


28 " 


18 


23 " 


9 


28 " 


3 


28 " 34 


28 " 147 


29 ' 


' 38 


29 " 


19 


29 " 


10 


29 " 


4 


29 Josh. 1 


29 " 148 


30 ' 


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30 " 


20 


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142 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

And in connection with these daily readings of the 
Scripture the annexed list of topics for the fifty-two 
weekly prayer-meetings have been suggested for 
general use: 

The Temptation of Christ. Matt. 4 : 1-11. 
Methods and Spirit of Prayer. Matt. 6 : 5-15. 
Faith for Others. Matt. 15 : 21-28. 
Consecration Tested. Matt. 19:16-20. 
Jesus in Gethsemane. Matt. 26 : 30-36. 
Parable of the Sower. Mark 4 : 1-20. 
The Demoniac Son Healed. Mark 9: 14-29. 
The Baptism of the Spirit. Acts 2 : 1-2 1. 
Paul' s Conversion. Acts 9 : 1-22. 
Divine Service. Acts 20 : 18-35. 
Christian Enthusiasm. Acts 26: 24, 25. 
Assurance of Faith and Hope. Romans 8 : 28-39. 
Consecration. Romans 12 ; 1, 2. 
Truth Revealed by the Spirit. 1 Cor. 2. 
The Believer — God's Temple. 1 Cor. 3 : 9-17. 
One Spirit — Diverse Gifts. 1 Cor. 12. 
Weakness Made Strength. 2 Cor. 12 : 7-10. 
Giving and Gaining. 2 Cor. 9. 
Saved by Grace. Gal. 3 : 1-4. 
The Christian Walk. Eph. 4 : 5. 
Seeking the Prize. Phil. 3 : 7-15. 
Resurrection Life. Col. 3 : 9-17. 
The Comforting Hope. 1 Thess. 4: 13-18. 
Perilous Times. 2 Tim. 3 : 1-13. 
Divine Sympathy and Succour. Heb. 4: 15, 16. 
Patience and Faith. Heb. 10: 36-38. 
Walking with God. Gen. 5 : 22. 
The Bow in the Cloud. Gen, 9:13. 
Intercession. Gen. 18 : 23-33. 
The Lord will Provide. Gen. 22 : 14. 



Jan. 


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April 


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THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 43 

Prevailing Prayer. Gen. 32 : 24-32. 
The Lord in the Prison. Gen. 39 : 21. 
Our Short-sightedness. Gen. 42 : 36. 
Faith and Worship. Ex. 4: 31. 
The Covenant-Keeping God. Ex. 6 : 2-3. 
The Passover. Ex. 12. 
The Ten Commandments. Ex. 20 : 1-17. 
Holiness to the Lord. Ex. 28 : 36-43. 
The Lord's Presence. Ex. 33 : 14-17. 
The Cloud and the Glory. Ex. 40 : 34-38. 
A Noble Example. Num. 11 : 25-29. 
The Smitten Rock. Num. 20 : 8-12. 
Baalim's Empty Wish. Num. 23 : 10. 
No Compromise. Num. 33 : 50-56. 
Only Take Heed. Deut. 4 : 9, 10. 
God's Care of His People. Deut. 7 : 6-17. 
Love of God's Word. Deut. 11 : 18-25. 
Courage from God. Deut. 20 : 1-8. 
The First belongs to God. Deut. 26: 1-11. 
Blessings upon Penitents. Deut. 30 : 1-16. 
Result of Courage. Josh. 1: 5-18. 
Victory from God. Josh. 6 : 1-20. 
Sin a Hindrance. Josh. 7 : 6-26. 
Cities of Refuge. 
Praise. Psalms. 

The adoption of such a plan as this would prove a 
powerful auxiliary to the daily cultivation of piety as 
set forth in our fourth chapter. And it has these con- 
spicuous merits, that it secures uniformity, that the 
topics grow out of the daily readings, and that the 
daily readings prepare for the topics and help to illus- 
trate them. All in all it is a most admirable combin- 
ation that cannot fail to recommend its adoption to all 



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144 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

who are earnestly praying for salvation in Israel and 
the more general establishment of our Redeemer's 
kingdom. Fly, O thou angel having in charge to 
preach the everlasting Gospel unto all them that 
dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred 
and tongue and people, and say to them all, Fear 
God, honor and obey Him. 

But whether we shall have uniform topics or not, 
either on a limited or a general scale, let us have 
interesting prayer-meetings. Let us set to work 
with such earnestness and let us adopt such methods 
as under the divine blessing shall secure them. 



CHAPTER XVII. 
Helps to Speaking in Public. 

Those who attempt to speak in public for the first 
time need to be told that the agitation of mind which 
often accompanies the effort is not peculiar to them- 
selves, but is an experience common to all, or 
nearly so, and is not to be taken as a sign that they 
will never be able to speak with freedom and delight. 

There may be some who are natural orators, born 
such, like the pcet of whom Horace writes, and to 
such nothing need be said. They take to speaking 
as naturally as ducks to water. The perfect orator is 
one who knows everything, and is always prepared, 
knows just what to say, how to say it, and when, 
to say it. His will power is so imperial that nothing 
can daunt or subdue it; against whom the storms of 
opposing faction beat in vain. His sensibilities are 
so tender that they are responsive to every emotion, 
and so deep as to impress every hearer. He is like 
the lake on whose surface every breeze makes an 
impression, and from whose depths the storms stir up 



I46 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

the waves that sweep the sky and carry everything 
along with them. The trembling heart and the 
responsive eye give proper tones to expression and 
suitable look and gesture to every action. 

The majority of mankind are less gifted and need 
to study and premeditate in order to know what to 
say; they need to practice in order to learn how best 
to say it, and by frequent trial on the waves of 
extempore speech acquire the secret of speaking 
with force, verve, precision and persuasion. If there 
is any comfort in that, there are many examples of 
those who at the outset have made miserable failures. 
The case of Sheridan is well known. His " maiden 
speech" in the House of Commons was a failure 
that nearly drove him wild, but not to despair ; for he 
immediately vowed "that it was in him and should 
come out." He persevered and became one of the 
most brilliant orators in English history. The life of 
Disraeli, the present Earl Beaconsfield, furnishes an 
example exactly similar to that of Sheridan's. It 
is related of Livingstone, the African explorer, that 
the first time he tried to preach for a minister who 
was ill, he could get out nothing beyond the text, and 
after repeated trials he walked down the steps of the 
pulpit, took up his hat, and went away leaving ser- 
mon and service unfinished. It is said that when the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I47 

poet Longfellow visited London, he accepted the 
compliment of a breakfast on the express condition 
that there should be no public speaking. But some 
clever man purposely laid a trap for him, got up 
and toasted him in some very complimentary remarks. 
These called for a response from the poet. In his 
embarrassment he arose, attempted a speech, but 
could get out nothing but something like this: " Gen- 
tlemen, I thank you." When Dr. Windship, the 
Yankee Hercules, first appeared with a lecture before 
a Boston audience to tell how he had acquired his 
immense strength, he was so overcome by the sight 
of his audience as to faint in their presence; but 
immediately upon recovering and learning the cause 
of his discomfiture, he said : " What ! a man that 
can lift two thousand pounds afraid of an audience, 
impossible ! Let me go before them again, I will 
and must tell them what I have to say " — and 
tell them he did. John Stuart Mill frequently 
halted in his speeches, and yet was a very forcible 
and clear speaker. But I need not multiply in- 
stances to prove that men of profound thought and 
great ability have experienced great difficulty in 
acquiring the habit of extempore speech. 

The majority of those who have succeeded as pub- 
lic speakers, have taken considerable pains to perfect 



I48 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

themselves in oratory. It is related of the Rev. 
Joseph Cook by those who know him intimately 
that even when a mere boy he liked nothing better 
than to go into the open air and speak extemporane- 
ously on some random subject, and all through his 
course of study at the academy and college he gave 
particular attention to the practice of oratory. It is 
said that Henry Clay in early life practiced in a barn 
where the astonished cattle were his auditors. Dur- 
ing many years Newman Hall spent fifteen minutes 
each day in the practice of extempore speech, and 
took his subject from whatever page of his Bible to 
which he opened at random. The example of 
Demosthenes is so often adduced as to be threadbare, 
but yet no example is more pertinent; for he has 
stood in all ages as the acknowledged master of elo- 
quence. It was by the utmost diligence he became 
such. You will remember how he spoke before the 
waves of the surging sea, that the roar of a multitude 
might cease to be terrifying; you will remember how 
he overcame shortness of breath and an impediment 
in speech by running up hill and articulating words 
with pebbles in his mouth. Very pertinently has 
Cicero condensed an all-important rule for success 
into a threefold practice ; for when asked, " What 
was the first requisite for oratory?" he replied, 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 49 

"Action." "What is the second?" "Action." 
" What is the third ? " " Action. " 

But as a general thing those who take part in a 
prayer-meeting do not contemplate the acquisition of 
oratory to the extent in which the masters of elo- 
quence have acquired it ; they will be content if they 
can speak upon a subject with comfort to themselves 
and edification to others, and offer prayer in such 
phrases as shall indicate their sincerity, and not show 
that they have more zeal than knowledge. Let us 
enumerate some principles that may serve as helps in 
this direction. 

An excellent help will be to meditate frequently 
upon your subject, and even to pray over it. This 
will prove a suitable soil for the reception of your 
subject, out of which shall grow the tree of thought, 
with its fruit of forcible expression for public speech. 

Then again talk about your subject with others. 
In efforts to explain it, suitable words will come, and 
with them a fuller understanding of the subject, and 
oft times new ideas from those with whom you con- 
verse. Such exercise, like the whirl of the sling 
before the stone is cast, or the bend of the bow 
before the arrow flies, will give momentum to your 
thought and send it to the brow of conviction. 

And as you know what the subject will be on 



I50 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

which you desire to speak, gather up illustrations . 
from your own experience, from your walks in daily 
life, from your work and business, and from the 
company you keep. Keep your eyes and ears open, 
and you will find " tongues in trees, books in the 
running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in 
everything." Truly the attentive listener will hear 
the grass grow, and at every step in life find illustra- 
tions that shall prove feathers to guide the arrow of 
discourse in its flight, and barbs to its head to make 
it stick. 

It will be wise also to read on your subject. If 
you digest and assimilate what you read, this will 
enrich your own thought, and make what you shall 
say all the more valuable. It will also help you to 
more accurate expression in speech, if you write on 
your subject. " Reading maketh a full man, confer- 
ence a ready man, and writing an exact man." But 
if you write, it should not be with a view to commit- 
ting it to memory; for this will always keep you in 
bondage, and prevent you from acquiring the larger 
liberty of extempore speech. It was the maxim 
of Pultenay, the first Earl of Bath, that there are 
u few orators who commence with set speeches," and 
in practicing on this rule he became one of the lead- 
ing speakers in Parliament. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 5 I 

And these various parts in preparation will prove 
so many steps by which your subject shall work 
itself down into your own heart. The home of 
eloquence is the heart; for like music, poetry and 
painting, oratory springs from the heart. " The great- 
est thoughts do not spring from the understanding, 
but enter into it from the heart of man; the heart is 
the bud of the head." To be devoid of feeling is to 
be devoid of eloquence. When we feel deeply, we 
think clearly, and talk freely. " If you wish me to 
weep," says Horace, " you must first weep yourself." 
"My heart was hot within me," says the Psalmist; 
"while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I 
with my tongue." So likewise Jeremiah: " But his 
word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in 
my bones, and I was weary with forbearing and I 
could not stay." Without heart in them, thoughts 
may be ever so clear, but they will be lacking in that 
warmth which eloquence engenders ; they may 
dazzle, but they will come as cold as a beam of 
light from an iceberg. 

Another excellent rule for speech in the prayer- 
meeting is this: be brief. This was Luther's sug- 
gestive maxim : " Get up boldly ; open your mouth 
widely; be done quickly." If you set out to speak 
half an hour, you might find it very difficult to fill 



T52 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

the time; but if you get up with something to say- 
that you must say, born of such preparation as has 
been indicated, when you have poured out your 
thought, stop. When you are through, have done. 
There is many a man that does not know when 
to stop, but flies like a wounded bird from bush 
to bush till he drops by sheer exhaustion. John 
Bright, " the great commoner," when interviewed 
said, "the only part of my speech that I prepare in 
set words is the conclusion. I always know how 
and when I am going to stop." Be content to say 
a few things well, rather than many poorly. When 
it shall become the rule to speak as briefly as possible, 
we shall find that we have more to say than we 
thought we had, that it is easier to speak than 
we thought it was, and that what we say goes 
straighter to the mark than we thought it would. 

And with reference to prayer, the same rules apply 
as to speaking. Be brief in your petitions, seek 
the guidance of the Spirit in the effort, pray in 
the family and in the closet, and thus your voice 
in prayer will not sound strange to your ears, and 
prove mere words of the mouth rather than those 
which have their source in the heart. Have some 
purpose in your prayer, something to ask for, some- 
thing to rejoice over, and something to give thanks 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 53 

for. Study the models of prayer to be found in 
the Bible and seek to enter into the spirit of their 
petitions. 

A full and comprehensive prayer may include : 
"Adoring the glory and perfection of God; giving 
thanks to him for all his mercies, general and par- 
ticular, spiritual and temporal, common and special, 
above all, for Christ Jesus, his unspeakable gift, and 
the hope of eternal life through him ; making humble 
confession of sin and earnest supplication for the 
pardon of sin, for peace with God, and for the fruit 
of the Spirit; pleading from every principle war- 
ranted in Scripture, from our necessity, and the 
all-sufficiency of God; and intercession for others, 
the growth of the church, the welfare of society, and 
the urgent interests of that community to which we 
immediately belong." But every prayer need not 
include all these particulars, as is evident from the 
prayers of Scripture ; but such parts as our immediate 
object in prayer may require. For the Bible gives 
us three classes of models: first, those that are very 
brief, hardly more than a sentence, like the publican's 
prayer; second, those of medium length, like the 
" Lord's Prayer; " and third, those of greater length, 
like the prayer of dedication by Solomon, the con- 



11 



154 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

fession and prayer of Daniel, — or the high-priestly 
prayer of the Lord. 

But whatever be the result of your attempts to 
speak in public, do not be discouraged. Do not be 
prevented from having your say, though your mind 
be agitated, and the trepidation promises to stick by 
you through life. The agitation of your mind may 
arise from constitutional peculiarities. It is difficult 
to control one's temperament and compel shaking 
knees to stand still. But this will prove no serious 
hindrance to your success as a speaker, if you will 
only accept it as a fact, and press forward with 
invincible resolution. Cicero has said of himself, 
that " he grew pale at the beginning of a speech, and 
felt a tremor in every part of his frame." And ot 
his first attempt he said, " I was so intimidated, that 
(I speak it with the highest sense of gratitude) 
Quintus Maximus adjourned the Court, when he per- 
ceived me thus oppressed and disabled with concern." 
Nor are some of the bravest and boldest ministers, 
who have seen years of service, strangers to this 
perturbation. " I am now an old man," said Luther, 
" and have been a long while occupied in preaching ; 
but I never ascend the pulpit without a tremor." 

It is a twice-told tale. There are none who can- 
not become forcible speakers, if they set out with 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 55 

a determination to conquer, if it takes all summer. 
" The gods sell us every thing for labor," says an old 
Greek proverb. Intelligent and continuous practice 
will achieve success and produce a certain measure of 
freedom. Perhaps the example of Mr. Moody is as 
good as any that can be found in the way of encour- 
agement. One could hardly have more obstacles in 
the way than he had. Mr. William Reynolds, of 
Peoria, related the following interesting reminiscence 
at a convention held in Canada three or four years 
ago : " The first meeting I ever saw him at, was in a 
little old shanty that had been abandoned by a saloon- 
keeper. Mr. Moody had got the place to hold a 
meeting in at night. I went there a little late; and 
the first thing I saw was a man standing up, with 
a few tallow candles around him, holding a negro 
boy, and trying to read to him the story of the 
Prodigal Son; and a great many of the words he 
could not make out, and had to skip. I thought, if 
the Lord can ever use such an instrument as that for 
His honor and glory, it will astonish me. After that 
meeting was over Mr. Moody said to me, 'Reynolds, 
I have got only one talent: I have no education, but 
I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and I w T ant to do some- 
thing for Him ; and I want you to pray for me.' I 
have never ceased from that day to this, morning and 



T 56 THE PRAYER-MEETING 

night, to pray for that devoted Christian soldier. I 
have watched him since then, have had counsel with 
him, and know him thoroughly; and for consistent 
walk and conversation I have never met a man to 
equal him. It astounds me when I look back and 
see what Mr. Moody was thirteen years ago, and 
then what he is under God to-day — shaking Scotland 
to its very centre, and reaching now over to Ireland* 
The last time I heard from him, his injunction was, 
' Pray for me everyday; pray now that God will 
keep me humble.' " 

Public speaking at the outset may prove like the 
efforts of a boy learning to skate. It is attended with 
many a fall and bruise; but presently that which in 
the beginning was so slow and dangerous, becomes 
safe and delightful. How well I remember what a 
pleasure skating became after I had learned how to 
skate. With what bounding joy I rushed forward, 
the moment I caught sight of the river, with what 
eager haste I buckled on my skates, and with what 
ecstacy of delight I flew away over the frozen field as 
it lay beneath my feet like a mirror glittering in the 
sun — " it was a thing of beauty and a joy forever." 

Is not the experience of Mr. Moody something 
like this? It cannot now be otherwise than the 
greatest joy for him to speak with such freedom, 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 157 

power, and perfect command of himself and his audi- 
ence. Be content to fail a number of times, if that is 
necessary, but " don't give up the ship." Be encour- 
aged by his noble example, and no longer let " I dare 
not wait upon I would : " 

4 ' I would, but cannot sing, 
I would, but cannot pray," 
I would, but cannot speak. 

With reasonable effort and perseverance, we shall 
conquer a reasonable and enjoyable fluency in 
speech and prayer — not for its own sake, but that as 
living witnesses to the power of truth, God may take 
our words and make them suitable instruments of per- 
suasion to the edification of the church, the conversion 
of sinners, and the advancement of His Kingdom. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
How to Secure Attendance. 

In many of our churches there is the largest attend- 
ance in the morning; the evening service is left to 
take care of itself. And if this is so for the Sabbath, 
what shall we say for the prayer-meeting? The 
audience rooms of the churches are all too large, and 
only those are used for the Wednesday evening meet- 
ings where no lecture-rooms are attached. The 
prayer-meeting in the main room of the church 
would simply be lost, and the leader, like Diogenes, 
would have to take a lantern in order to hunt up the 
people and find where to stand while conducting the 
exercises. 

This statement is as true for England as for Amer- 
ica. Let us adduce testimony. "How are the 
prayer-meetings almost universally neglected!" 
says Spurgeon. " Our own church stands out like an 
almost solitary green islet in the midst of a dark, 
dark, sea; one bright pearl in the depths of an ocean 
of discord and confusion. Look at the neighboring 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 59 

churches. Step into the vestry, and see a smaller 
band of people than you would like to think of, 
assembled around the pastor, whose heart is dull and 
heavy. Hear one brother after another pour out the 
dull, monotonous prayer that he has said by heart 
these fifty years ; and then go away and say : i Where 
is the spirit of prayer, where the life of devotion ? ' 
Is it not almost extinct? Are not our churches 
'fallen, fallen, fallen from their high estate?' God 
wake them up, and send them more earnest and 
praying men!" 

But, if it is the duty of the pastor to preach on 
Sabbath evenings, is it not the duty of the church to 
attend ? Is there more room than they can fill ? 
Then why did they build the church too large ? If it 
is the duty of the church to have a prayer-meeting, is 
it not the duty of all the church members to attend 
and do their best to make it as successful as possible ? 

In a few churches, very happily, there are found 
the " sons of thunder " to fill them with their elo- 
quence, and the question with them is not how to 
make the people attend, but how to let them in and 
make room for them. Now these men of fire will 
play around the gilt rods of the highest steeples, and 
those who live in provincial towns, on the heath or 
in the backwoods need not look for such displays to 



l6o THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

fill their houses. Let them accept the situation and 
be content with such good men as the Lord shall be 
pleased to send them. The people are not helpless; 
if they will only set to work, what is to prevent them 
from filling the lecture- room and the church on 
every occasion? There is nothing at all. "Let us 
go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to 
overcome it. " In God's name and with God's help 
let us hold and occupy the field. If eloquence is 
lacking, if fine music is lacking ; let us fall back upon 
the good old Gospel and our own duties under it. 
But be well assured, if you allow one-half or one- 
third of the church to perform all the duties of the 
church, there is but a small blessing in store for 
your church. " Curse ye Meroz, said the angel 
of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants 
thereof ; because they came not to the help of the 
Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. " 

If we cannot make the evening attendance on the 
church and the prayer-meeting a self-executing priv- 
ilege let us bring it into the domain of duty. With 
this end in view let the people pledge themselves to 
attend. Let a covenant be prepared to emphasize 
the importance of a full attendance in such terms as 
shall meet the exigencies of the case, and then let 
some judicious persons take it around among the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. l6l 

people for signatures. After these have been secured, 
the pastor can have the pledge printed on a card and 
a copy returned to each signer with a brief letter 
exhorting each to keep in mind what has been 
pledged, and to seek divine guidance in its full per- 
formance. 

Let us sketch an outline of such a pledge : 

We, the undersigned, do each and severally covenant together, 
that the work of God may not suffer from our neglect, to faithfully, 
regularly and punctually attend all the public services of the church 
on Sabbath morning and evening, and also and especially the meet- 
ing for prayer on the week-day evening. We agree that the only 
excuses for non-attendance shall be such as will approve themselves 
to our conscience at the time, and as we trust will pass muster on 
the great review day above. 

We also promise to study the topic for the prayer-meeting, and 
take such part in its social worship as our duty shall indicate. We 
are God's witnesses, and as such we desire to speak and pray that 
eventually our duty may prove a pleasure and participation more a 
privilege than an unwelcome burden. But whether we take part or 
not, we will not forsake " the assembling of ourselves " together, as 
has been the manner of some from the beginning, unless unavoid- 
able circumstances prevent us from meeting with the brethren in 
public assembly. 

We alro promise that we will not only come ourselves, but also 
by the grace of God helping us, we will invite and endeavor to 
bring others with us, that thus the rooms of the church may be 
filled and the rich blessings of God's love and mercy may be as 
widely distributed in our community as possible (Rev. 22 : 17). 

And we also promise that if we are absent from any stated meet- 
ing we shall always be ready to speak to our pastor or our brethren 
in the Lord about such absence, and that any inquiry into our 
excuses by them shall not give us offence, but be thankfully received 



I 62 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

by us and esteemed one of the means whereby to provoke unto love 
and good works. 

All this we covenant and agree in the sight of God, who reads 
our hearts and will approve or condemn our motives according as 
He sees them to be sincere or not. 

Signed, : — - 



In this matter we need to carry the standard pretty 
well up to the front. And no one need doubt but 
that such fidelity in the discharge of duties as this 
would secure among all the members would soon fill 
the church, and wonderfully stimulate the Christian 
zeal of all in a community. In one of the fierce 
battles in the South, so it is related, a colored soldier 
stood with the banner well up in the front. An 
officer, fearing that the ensign would be captured, 
cried out in the thick of the fight, " Come back with 
that flag!" " Mass a, cap'n," the dusky hero re- 
plied, u this yeah flag never go back ; bring up 
dem men dar!" " Dem men dar" came up to the 
support of their colors, and turned the tide of defeat 
into a well-earned victory. 

My Christian brother, carry the standard well up 
to the front, and then bring up those non-attending 
and nomadic members from the fields, the woods, 
and the rear, into rank and file, around the uplifted 
standard of the Cross — and who has ever rallied 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 63 

round an ensign more glorious and inspiring? — and 
the tide of battle will be successfully turned into a 
victory for every church that is now feeble and 
despondent. Come to the prayer-meeting whether 
you take part or not. There may be sufficient 
reason for your silence, but you can always speak by 
your presence. To be always at the prayer-meeting 
is an action as eloquent as any speech. 

Let church attendance be the last active out-door 
duty from which you will retire. Have a resolute 
mind and an unconquerable spirit, and you will live 
all the longer for such activity; and what is more, 
you will enjoy your old age, and we shall hear little 
about your influence being lost, and you yourself 
laid on the shelf. Old a^re need not and should not 
come to thee to wither up thy faculties, and make 
thy days long and wearisome. In attendance on the 
prayer-meeting be as hale and tough as old hickory. 
Just here we happen to know what can be done if 
there be first the willing and decisive mind. We 
know an entire family that during two years lived 
six miles from church, and yet they regularly attended 
the prayer-meeting, driving twelve miles to do so, in 
summer as in winter, in moonshine as in darkness, 
over a dangerous road. But you live six blocks from 



164 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

church, and call it far! Simeon and Anna, when we 
read of them, were very old, yet their daily attend- 
ance on the temple at morning and evening sacrifice 
ceased not on that account. Simeon doubtless found 
it a trial on his strength to go up the hill to the top 
of Moriah, where stood the glorious temple of God ; 
and it may be that Anna found it a sort of self- 
denial to continue in the temple, serving " God with 
fastings and prayers night and day;" but, O how 
precious was their reward! Ere they withdrew from 
active life, they were both permitted to see the Lord's 
Anointed, to hold him lovingly in their arms, and 
to speak of him " to all them that looked for redemp- 
tion in Jerusalem." 

There are many in our churches — and it is delight- 
ful to see them — who are as regular as the seasons in 
attendance upon the public services of God's house. 
They have a place there, and are always in it, irre- 
spective of the weather, — may their tribe increase. 
If you look for them in their place and see them not, 
you are either growing blind or something like a 
land-slide has taken place between their house and 
the church. 

And perhaps it will not be out of place to give just 
one instance of the working of the pledge for church 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 65 

and prayer-meeting attendance. It is done with no 
intention of finding fault with the church that origi- 
nated the method, but rather to hold them up as an 
example of great wisdom, and, under the circumstan- 
ces, to praise them for the important discovery they 
have made. "The Calvary Presbyterian Church" of 
Springfield, Mo., is the leading church in its Presby- 
tery, and well-known . for its labors of love and self- 
sacrifice ; but its members had fallen into the habit so 
common in all our city churches, of absenting them- 
selves from the evening services in considerable num- 
bers. Their pastor-elect, in this view of the case, felt 
it to be his duty to resign. But the church w T ould 
not permit this, and especially so when they learned 
the reason. They called a meeting of the congre- 
gation and immediately applied a remedy for non- 
attendance in the shape of a pledge which was drawn 
up and signed : it was handed to the pastor, and of 
course the ground of his action was removed. He 
then prefixed a letter to the pledge and had both 
printed together on a card, so that a copy might be 
sent to each one of the original signers. The follow- 
ing is a literal copy of that card : 



1 66 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 





" Brethren, be not weary in well-doing." 




Dear 




The following Pledge was handed to me with your 






name signed to it. The good Lord is pleased with 


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our vows made to Him, when He sees us earnestly 


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trying to keep them. Believing that a frequent 


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reading of this solemn Pledge to which you have 


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subscribed your name will assist you to carry it out 




CO 

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I herewith send you a copy of it. Please read Psalm 


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lxvi., 12 ; Psalm lxxvi., n ; Psalm cxvi., 14. 
Your Pastor, 


3 


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C. H. DUNLAP. 


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PLEDGE. 


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We now pledge ourselves to self-examination and 


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prayer, that the Holy Spirit may come into our 


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hearts; to seek His enlightening power, that we may 


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see our duty as believers, and to impart to us such 




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a sense of our obligations to our Lord as will enable 


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us to engage heartily in all Christian work, by a 




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more regular attendance upon all the services of the 


3 


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sanctuary, by the cultivation of the grace of benev- 


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olence, and by seeking such a spirit of love to all 






that we shall set a watch upon our lips and hearts, 






that all evil speaking, with all bitterness, may be 






put away from us. 




"Lo! I am with you always." 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 67 

So far as we know, the result of this action has 
come up to their most sanguine expectations. The 
evening services were at once well attended, the pas- 
tor was greatly encouraged — for to preach to slim 
audiences in the evening is the severest trial of the 
pastor's duty — the people were delighted by the new 
tokens of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, 
and with increased hopefulness the work began to go 
forward in their midst. Both pastor and people are 
entitled to honorable mention for having so happily 
and harmoniously solved the difficulty, and their 
discovery is one that should not be lost to the church 
at lage. 

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; 
prove your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in 
you, except ye be reprobates." — 2 Cor. 13: 5. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

How Prayer-Meetings are kept at a White 

Heat. 

"How are prayer-meetings kept at a white heat?" — Corres- 
pondent. 

To answer the above question in a very practical 
way, we detailed a ministerial reporter to visit 
several of the most successful prayer-meetings in 
New York and Brooklyn. We transfer the follow- 
ing from his note-book: 

At Fulton Street noon-day prayer-meeting, which 
has met every business day at noon for the past 
twenty years, we found in attendance about one 
hundred people, mostly business men. The meeting 
began punctually at i o'clock to the minute. No 
speech or prayer was allowed to exceed five minutes. 
A portion of Scripture, carefully prepared by a pre- 
viously appointed leader, was read and commented 
on very briefly and pointedly. Requests for prayer^ 
twenty or thirty, were read from the desk, others 
were made verbally by speakers. Prayers were 
earnest. Every minute was occupied. No loud talk- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 69 

ing, noise or excitement, but the deepest kind of 
earnestness was manifested. The assembly had the 
appearance of a meeting of a lot of earnest business 
men who had come together to talk over some vital 
business matter. The leading spirits of this meeting 
are men of conviction; men who are as sure God 
answers prayer as they are that the sun is shining 
above the clouds at noon to-day. Promptness, eager- 
ness, earnestness, common business sense applied to 
religion, faith, and the consequent presence of the 
Spirit of God, keep this meeting at " white heat."" 

The prayer-meeting at the Brooklyn tabernacle is, 
perhaps, more largely attended than any other in the 
world. We found about two thousand people in 
attendance; it was a threefold meeting, and lasts 
from 714 to 91^ o'clock. The first half hour is spent 
in congregational singing — singing the hymns for 
the following services: (This church has no choir, 
but is led in its singing by the organ and a precentor) 
From 8 to 8% o'clock, Dr. Talmage delivers a pre- 
pared and, to his audience, an exceedingly interesting 
" review of the secular events of the week from a 
religious standpoint." This review is gotten up in a 
popular lecture style, and helps to draw the crowds. 
At the conclusion of the lecture the audience has per- 
mission to retire or remain for the prayer-meeting 
12 



I70 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

proper. The lecture bait has evidently caught many. 
Curiosity is excited, so the larger proportion of the 
great audience remain. Dr. Talmage takes his seat 
on the front of the platform and calls upon some 
brother, who has the gift to make a brief, earnest, 
sympathetic prayer, to pray. The leader keeps the 
reins well in hand: "I would like to take testimony 
to-night whether Christianity is true or not. The 
Bible says that those who are faithful Christians will 
know that Christianity is true. There are those here 
whom you know to be honest men; men who would 
scorn to bear false testimony. They have been 
Christians for twenty, thirty, fifty years. Now, what 
say they? Do they know by experience that 
Christianity is a truth? You would take their testi- 
mony on any other matter. There is no judge in this 
city who would not deem them capable witnesses. 
Here is a matter of which they say they have posi- 
tive knowledge. They are capable witnesses." One 
after another of aged Christians was called upon to 
bear testimony concerning his experimental knowl- 
edge of the truth of the religion of Jesus. Younger 
men testified. Brief exhortations by the pastor, and 
others in the same line of thought followed. Prayers, 
pointed and brief, were made for the immediate con- 
version of the unconverted present. Then, those 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I7I 

desiring the prayers of God's people were requested 
to stand up. Fifty or more arose. After an earnest 
prayer by the pastor, the meeting adjourned. The 
prayer-meeting proper lasted three-quarters of an 
hour. 

Here also they have found the secret of keeping a 
prayer-meeting at " white heat." 

— Metropolitan Pulpit. 



CHAPTER XX. 
Treatment of the Monthly Concert. 

The Gospel needs of the world are so great and 
important, that a place for their consideration ought 
to be given them in the scheme of topics. Now it is 
so well known that the monthly concert for missions 
will be a dry presentation of facts and figures, that 
people more readily stay away on those evenings 
than any other. We have only to improve this treat- 
ment and make it pleasing, as well as instructive, 
in order to arouse the attention of the church and 
secure fuller attendance. 

We have already adverted to a general plan by 
which the concert can be made more interesting than 
it usually is, but some additional particulars may here 
be specified which shall give a growing interest to 
the monthly presentation of the missionary subjects* 

The concert should be made the occasion for the 
study of history. I suppose none of us know too 
much about the history of lands other than our own. 
Each month we have a particular field under view. 
Let us investigate certain subjects connected with 
the history of that portion of the world, such as its Ian- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 73 

guage, literature, religion, social condition, and pol- 
itical relations. Let us take India, for example. We 
may profitably study from year to year such subjects 
as these : The history of India from the earliest 
times; the importance of the discovery of the new 
way to India by the Cape of Good Hope; the char- 
tering of the East India Company by Queen Eliza- 
beth; the licence granted to this company by the 
Great Mogul to establish a trading-post in India; 
the steps by which this populous and extended region 
was opened for the Gospel; the rule of the East 
India Company; the impeachment of Warren Hast- 
ings; how was their opposition to the spread of the 
Gospel finally overcome? the struggle over renewal 
of charter in 1S13; the Crimean War and its results; 
the Sepoy Rebellion; the extinction of the Com- 
pany's rule and the elevation of Victoria as sovereign 
of India in 1858; her elevation to be Empress of India 
in 1877; the civilization of India under British rule; 
the labors of this and that missionary in India, etc. 

Nor will it be out of place to devote time to the 
study of geography in its two branches of physical 
and descriptive — the climate and the products of the 
soil in their relation to civilization and religion — hin- 
drances in the way of civilizing Africa from climate — 
is not a more moderate or colder climate more favor- 
able? — the explorations and discoveries of Living- 



174 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

stone and Stanley in Africa — physical geography as 
modified by human action. Thus in China, at the 
present, the lamentable famine by which thousands 
are perishing has been caused by the destruction of 
the forests in that sadly-stricken region. In former 
times, the hills which " fringe that vast plateau, now 
the seat of famine, were covered with thick woods. 
They have been entirely cleared. From Pekin to 
Hankow, a distance of 700 miles, scarcely a tree or 
shrub is to be seen." As a result of such wasteful 
destruction, 70,000,000 of people in this thickly settled 
region are in want of food, and some 9,000,000 of 
them are actually starving. This is a lesson that 
should not be lost on the people of the United States- 
"Woodman, spare that tree." 

Again, the concert will give excellent opportunity 
for the study of comparative religion. There are 
about a dozen different religions of mankind. What 
are the distinctive features of each? Five of these, 
for example, are found in India — Brahminism, Mo- 
hammedanism, Buddhism, Chrstianity and Parsee- 
ism. The three essentially missionary religions of 
the world — Christianity, Mohammedanism and Budd- 
hism — are here confronting each other, and struggling- 
for supremacy. What will be the result? By meth- 
ods of research like these, we shall become better 
acquainted with the moral condition of the great un- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 75 

christian world, and the churches will be progressively- 
enlightened about its immediate and pressing needs. 

And finally, a brief presentation of what is being 
accomplished yearly in each field will be useful to 
awaken an interest and give it intelligent direction; 
and from such knowledge of struggles and hindrances, 
defeats and triumphs, hopes and encouragements, the 
church will learn better both how to pray and how to 
contribute. 

The annual recurrence of the same missionary 
fields should not call for a repetition of the same 
thoughts, but should afford the occasion for the pro- 
gressiva presentation of new lines in history, religion, 
geography, government and achievements. To re- 
vive a missionary zeal in the churches, we need only 
to pour in a flood of light upon these subjects, and as 
a result, under the divine blessing, such a prayerful 
interest will be maintained in the world-wide diffusion 
of the Gospel as shall advance the cause of truth 
both at home and abroad. 

" Watchman, tell me does the morning 

Of fair Zion's glory dawn ; 
Have the signs that mark His coming 

Yet upon my pathway shone ? 
Pilgrim, yes, arise, look round thee, 

Light is breaking in the skies; 
Spurn the unbelief that bound thee, 

Morning dawns, arise, arise! " 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Laying Out Work. 

It has been claimed by an English clergyman,* 
that the church of to-day has lost its early and prac- 
tical character, and hence fails to accomplish her full 
work. He objects that it is all preaching and no work. 
" The kind of meeting to which this pointed (Heb. 
10: 24, 25) was a meeting in which everybody who 
chose had a voice, in which everybody who had any 
advice or information or exhortation to give was free 
to give, and was expected to give it." " To provoke 
unto love and good works," to consider one another, 
to take steps for the relief of their poor, the succor of 
their sick, the instruction of the young, the conversion 
of their heathen friends, the advancement of their 
faith, the promotion of every scheme which an enthu- 
siastic philanthropy suggested for making the world 
better and happier, — this was the business which 
brought them together. They did not meet as we 
do to sing psalms, pray and hear a sermon, and go 

*Rev. J. Service. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. J 77 

away home till next Sunday. Their meetings did 
not end as ours regularly and systematically do, in 
nothing at alL And so, he reasons, we ought to 
introduce a more popular and practical element into 
our service. " If w^e were united," he goes on to say, 
* c in the loosest sort of way, united as a congregation 
in an endeavor to further Christian objects, to relieve 
the poor, to comfort the sick, to instruct the ignorant, 
to reclaim the erring, to remove temptation out of the 
way of the young, to promote decency, sobriety, 
honesty, truth, gentleness, — if we were ever so loosely 
united as a congregation in this endeavor, it is impos- 
sible, being as many as we are, that we should not 
accomplish something, Now if there were this kind 
of business first, and devotion followed, or if business 
and devotion were somehow combined in the order 
of our Sunday services, we should have what gives 
zest to meetings for other and inferior purposes, — the 
sense that we are dealing with what is immediate and 
of practical utility to ourselves and others. Were we 
able to report to-day that some work for the poor, or 
the sick, or the ignorant, or the tempted had been 
done by us since last Sunday, or had we now met to 
spend part of our time in considering what work of 
that kind might be attempted by us this week, I 
need not say our meeting would be more lively, for 



lyS THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

one thing, than our meetings usually are, and not the 
least so in respect of our devotion. In carrying on 
our work the practical and useful would come to the 
aid of devotion; devotion would aid work; we should 
meet difficulties, and pray the better on account of 
them; we should have some success, and because of 
it sing a more hearty song." This he contends was 
the purpose for which the primitive Christians came 
together on the first day of the week, and this was 
the nature of their worship — a meeting in which all 
had a voice for the transactions of business, for report- 
ing what had been done and for suggesting what 
might be done on the coming week; and hence they 
were so successful and grew in number so rapidly. 

Now this criticism might be more applicable to a 
church which held no week-day meetings for con- 
ference, prayer and exhortation, without a Sabbath 
school, and with a changing congregation. We are 
thankfully to receive every suggestion that might aid 
a church to do more than it is doing for Christ and 
humanity — and there is probably no church but might 
do a little more than it is doing — but with the various 
meetings and schopls which we have, there is less 
occasion for any change in the order and nature of our 
public services on the Sabbath. The church is a 
continuous organization and does not pass out of 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 79 

existence when her members go home to dine, or 
when the doors are closed at night for another week. 
And there is not so much change in the congregation 
either, except in the larger cities; so that the great 
majority of our churches are continuous organizations 
for work. We have the Sabbath school for instruc- 
tion and a more intimate acquaintance with the facts 
and principles of the Bible. There remains, then, a 
need for just such pulpit ministrations as are now 
given on the Lord's Day, that thus the Spirit of God 
may make " the preaching of the Word an effectual 
means of convincing and converting sinners, and of 
building them up in holiness and comfort, through 
faith, unto salvation." 

In some churches there are industrial schools 
where the young are regularly instructed in certain 
departments of home work, in neatness and cleanli- 
ness, and when cases of want and distress occur, they 
are looked after and relieved, and not only kind words 
are spoken, but also something to wear is given. 

In most churches the ladies meet weekly from 
house to house for prayer and conference. The 
neighbors are invited in to participate, and in this way 
strangers are reached and new opportunities for doing 
good are discovered. And then there are the weekly 
prayer-meetings of the church, which present 



l8o THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

abundant opportunity for doing just such work, or 
planning for it, as was suggested for the Sunday 
service, and which, it seems to us, is more appropriate 
for such a time and meeting. 

We might, perhaps, with great advantage to our- 
selves, introduce this feature into our prayer-meetings 
for a few minutes, or so many as should be needed, 
might be allotted for this purpose towards the close 
of the meeting, in which members might report what 
Christian work they had done, or were doing, 
whether they had been helpful to any, or had tried 
to be, to relieve the poor, to comfort the sick, to 
reclaim the erring, to remove temptation from the 
young, to promote the many good works for lack of 
which humanity lies suffering and bleeding, and to 
suggest what might be done while the week is still 
in progress; for in all these respects the church may 
prove herself a power for good in every community, 
and a fountain from which shall flow streams of 
blessing, sweetness and kindness. But in recounting 
work of this kind it would be very needful — and one 
could not be too careful, — to avoid the Pharisaic 
spirit, as illustrated by the parable of the Pharisee 
and the Publican, Luke 18: 9-14. But when the 
Christian is eaten up with zeal for the Lord's house 
and the Lord's work, he will run to and fro on the 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. l8l 

Lord's business and esteem the service a gladsome 
privilege. 

There are also other branches for beneficence in the 
machinery of the church — wheels within wheels — 
such as missionary bands, societies and officers in the 
church. These are set as watchmen upon the walls 
of our church that they may more readily discern 
what is useful and needful to do and to be done. We 
cannot, then, with so many arms and hands for work, 
complain of their lack, but rather of our failure to 
reach them out in as many helpful directions as the 
suffering needs of humanity require. Yes, the church 
is an organization for work. We are to be helpful to 
one another both spiritually and temporally. The 
church is the grandest of all organizations, because 
it is the body of Christ; and if there is any society 
that claims to be useful, the church should be all that 
and more. 

We should have a watchful interest in each other, 
in the children and youth of the congregation, and 
ever seek to improve them, ever seek to help them in 
honorable and needful ways, so that they may be 
able to help themselves, and in their turn to be able 
to help others. When any one is out of employment 
and in need of place and work, we should be ready 
with kind words, hopeful sympathy and actual solici- 



T82 the prayer-meeting. 

tation in their behalf. The true economy of life is to 
help others in such a way that they can help them- 
selves. It is not so much charity they need as work 
and compensation. 

Now it may be easier to send your money to the 
heathen, and delegate others to do good for you, than 
to take such personal interest in those right about 
you, that when they are in pressing need their wants 
shall receive immediate attention. And so it is re- 
ported of a wealthy firm in one of the great cities of 
the land, the members of which are pillars in a 
•church — whose integrity no man questions — that they 
had had a man in their service until he became old 
and sick, and being unable to work, they stopped his 
salary, and he and his family were brought to the 
verge of starvation. Their attention was called to his 
•condition, and a few dollars were sent for his relief; 
but it was a mere mite in contrast wih their munifi- 
cent contributions to the charities of their church; and 
had it not been for the aid and sympathy of his fellow- 
clerks, he would have died, and received burial as a 
pauper. As it was, through their benevolence, the 
old man was supported comfortably while he lived, 
and in death received those kindly attentions which 
the heart loves to bestow on the objects of its care. 
The giving of large sums of money to a public charity 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 83 

attracts more notice and gains more fame than giving 
it for the benefit of some poor gamin — some Peter, 
John, or Paul — that has fallen among thieves on the 
road to Jericho. While so much money is sent to the 
bushmen of Africa or elsewhere, is there no one to 
take a personal interest in the tramp on the road to 
Jericho, the roustabout on a Mississippi steamer, the 
waif of the street whose home is a dry-goods box, or 
the orphan that sweeps the crossings, and begs a 
penny from my lord or lady as they pass on dry-shod 
and unsoiled. It is so much easier to weep over 
pictured misery in the South Sea Islands, than shed 
tears over the boot-black in your own city, whose 
scant earnings may buy bread and butter for some 
invalid mother or destitute sister. We all need to 
read and lay to heart the Parable of the Good 
Samaritan (Luke 10: 30-37). 

The prayer-meeting will afford excellent oppor- 
tunity to speak of just such cases as need help, work 
and sympathy. But if it be not proper to make such 
business a part of its exercises, it certainly will not be 
out of place to spend five or ten minutes after the 
close of each meeting in social intercourse about such 
charitable work as the church ought to undertake 
and prosecute. How easy it would be in this way to 
engender and stimulate a zeal for the thorough visita- 



184 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

tion of the district in which the church is located, in 
order to discover both the temporal and the spiritual 
wants of the neighboring community. How easy it 
would be to create an enthusiasm in works of benev- 
olence, if such opportunity were given in connection 
with the disc6very of wants and the comparison of 
notes. How easy it would be to fill up our churches, 
our Sabbath-schools and our prayer-meetings. It is 
not the ability that we lack, so much as the inclination 
and the zeal. God will give all the grace that such 
undertakings require as fast as the grace He has 
already given is used. Look at the zeal of Moody 
when a young convert. " His first effort was to hire 
four pews in Plymouth Church, Chicago, and keep 
them full of young men every Sunday;" and then 
next, to fill up a mission school on the North Side, 
and he has kept at this business of filling up churches 
ever since. 

" Then shall the King say unto them on his right 
hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world: 
for I was an hungered and ye gave me meat; I was 
thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and 
ye took me in; naked and ye clothed me; I was sick 
and ye visited me; I was in prison and ye came unto 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 85 

me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying 
Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? 
or thirsty and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a 
stranger, and took thee in? Or naked and clothed 
thee? or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and 
came unto thee? And the King shall answer and 
say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as 
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my 
brethren, ye have done it unto me." — Matt. 25: 

34— 4°- 



13 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Hints New and Old. 

The following hints have been selected by way 
of review, and to emphasize some things of chief 
value to be looked after in the conduct of the prayer- 
meeting. " To every man his work." " England 
expects every man to do his duty." " Go work to- 
day in my vineyard." 

/. Attendance, dec. 
i. Arrange your affairs so as to attend the prayer- 
meeting, and be sure to come, unless under the same 
circumstances you would have to break a social or 
business engagement. 

2. Come yourself. Bring your children. "The 
prayer-meeting is not complete without the children, 
any more than the family circle." 

3. If you are entertaining friends, bring your 
visitors with you, and let the church give them a 
rousing social welcome after the meeting is closed. 

4. Bring some unconverted friend with you, and 
pray for a blessing upon him before the meeting 
closes. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I 8/ 

5. Come early, if possible; if not, come late; but 
by all means come early. 

6. Come to the meeting in the spirit of prayer, 
and with the desire to take a part, should time and 
opportunity be given. " Those meetings have been 
the best that have been preceded by the most prayer." 

7. Let the seats in front and near the leader be 
taken first. Sit side by side, and if there are to be 
any vacant chairs, let them be in the rear of the 
room. There is no rule for the success of religious 
meetings that Christians are slower to act upon than 
this — always to fill the front seats first and closely 
pack them. It seems a trivial thing, but it is a matter 
of prime importance. What kind of sociability 
would there be in a house if a dozen guests should 
sit down each in a room by himself, and then try to 
talk and be social through the doors and across the 
hall. Scatter the embers and they go out; draw 
them together and they burn and glow. The fingers 
in a mitten warm each other; in a glove they are 
chilled by separation. 

8. Never give a concert, lecture, or other enter- 
tainment the preference if they come on the same 
evening as the prayer-meeting. Let the prayer- 
meeting be first. 

9. Study and pray over the topic for the week, 



1 88 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

that you may fill your mind with its precious truth, 
and make the prayer-meeting itself a theme of fre- 
quent conversation with your family and friends dur- 
ing the week. 

10. Open and close the meeting promptly. If any 
indulgence is to be made, let it be in favor of a shorter 
rather than a longer session. 

ii. Occasionally devote five minutes or so at the 
close of the meeting for reports on work, or for new 
plans for work. There should also be an opportunity 
given somewhere in every meeting for a man to speak 
or pray whose heart is full and must find utterance, 
whether he is down on the programme or not. 

12. Carefully exclude controversy and contradic- 
tion. The prayer-meeting is not a debating society. 

13. As the weekly prayer-meeting is the gather- 
ing together of the household of Christ for growth in 
grace, for worship, and for mutual sympathy, let all 
restraint, formality and criticism be left outside. 
Don't let them cross the threshold. See Heb. 4 : 16. 

14. But if all your efforts to wake up the mind of 
the church to the importance of prompt and full 
attendance on the prayer-meeting should fail, intro- 
duce the "League and Covenant" for attendance; 
and if that will not secure the hoped-for result, you 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 89 

may conclude that you have sufficient reason as 
pastor to seek a different field of labor. 

II. Variety. 
In order not to have any monotony in the exercises 
from week to week, it will be wise to change them,, 
and to a certain extent have the meetings, as they 
proceed, vary as to their nature. We place here 
what has previously been given on this head. 

1. Conduct the meeting in the usual way. Cus- 
tom has endeared it, and it may be really valuable. 

2. If the topic be suitable, use it as the theme for 
a Bible reading. 

3. Have a set programme, in which you have a 
place for one or two old men, for one or two middle- 
aged men, and for one or two young men, who have 
promised to attend and speak to the topic. Arrange 
also for two or three to pray for some urgent want of 
the church and congregation. 

4. Announce for the next meeting that everything 
shall be voluntary, and just as soon as the topic has 
been developed, and the supply of participants ceases, 
stop the meeting, though you are but half through 
the hour; at all events, don't run beyond the time. 

5. If you have a missionary topic, arrange for the 
reading of several letters, essays, etc. 



I9O THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

6. If the season be suitable, arrange for a praise 
meeting, a promise meeting, a seed-time meeting, a 
iC harvest-home " meeting, a memorial or Ebenezer 
meeting, and the like. 

7. Occasionally have a new leader conduct the 
meeling. Such variety as this would introduce into 
the meetings would give life, animation and interest 
to them. The people would assemble each time in 
expectation of something new, and in this would not 
be disappointed. 

III. Procedure. 

1. "How is it then, brethren, when ye come 
together? " " Let everything be done unto edifying. " 

2. How can we cherish a sense of the Divine 
Presence in every meeting? Do we expect Christ to 
meet with us? How can we secure the aid and co- 
operation of the Ho]y Spirit, for without Him our 
meeting will be in vain, and worse than in vain? 
As aids to an answer, we' ought to read, ponder and 
pray over such texts of Scripture as these: Matt. 18: 
19, 20; Hos. 10:12; Hab. 3:2; Zech. 4:6; Mark 
1 : 24; Rom. 8 -.26, 27; Eph. 5 : 18; Jas. 5: 16; and 
Luke 11 : 19-13. Ought not the prayers, then, at the 
opening of the meeting to be burdened w r ith petitions 
that God will hear us and grant us the presence of 
His Son and His Spirit? 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. I9I 

3. Brevity in remarks and prayers is essential 
both to the interest of the meeting and its prompt 
dismissal. It is well to have as large a number as 
possible participate, so that, while the exercises have 
unity, they may not lack variety. Lengthy remarks 
generally become prosy, and long prayers are a de- 
parture from the models given in the Bible. The 
prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple — 
perhaps the longest prayer in the Bible — did not 
occupy much over five minutes. " But when ye 
pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do : for 
they think that they shall be heard for their much 
speaking." Experience has shown that from three to 
five minutes, on an average, is as much time as each 
one ought to use in taking part; and hence an address 
should make up in quality for what it lacks in quan- 
tity. Brevity will require condensation, point and 
application to our petitions, and unction in our devo- 
tion. 

4. When you speak or pray, be sure to speak 
loud enough for all to hear you. 

5. Inasmuch as in some of the denominations the 
ladies are silent, except as heard in song, why may 
not such present their thoughts from time to time in 
brief essays, to be read by the pastor or some of the 
brethren in the prayer-meeting? Such a custom in 



I92 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

these churches would tend to cultivate the various 
orders of Christian talent, and give us the benefit of 
womanly prudence, piety and wisdom. 

6. Ought not " scolding " to be carefully avoided ? 
Does it pay to scold those who are present, because 
others are absent? I know of a case where the 
church was just emptied by a minister scolding those 
who came because others kept away. If things do 
not go right, take them to the Lord in prayer. That 
will kindle a fire in the pulpit, that will kindle a fire 
in the pew, and make the house comfortable. Praise 
what is commendable, and let us all, in the spirit of 
Heb. 10: 24, 25, cultivate a more fervent type of 
piety. 

7. How can we avoid the " long pauses " that 
drag and spoil a meeting? By each one having 
something to say or read, which he cannot permit 
the meeting to close without hearing. We ought 
to be willing to speak for Christ, even if we cannot 
imitate the accent of Cicero or the eloquence of 
Demosthenes. If we will only tell what we feel, we 
shall all be eloquent enough, and glorify God in the 
way pleasing to Him. 

8. If our hearts are only full, we shall hardly be 
able to wait for our turn. Go to an exchange where 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 95 

stocks are sold, and listen to the brokers all bidding 
at once, and learn the secret. 

9. In moments of deep solemnity, it is very proper 
to give a moment or two to silent prayer. At the 
revival meetings conducted by our dear brethren,, 
Major Whittle and Mr. Bliss, in our city in the Fall 
of 1876, I was much impressed with this custom, 
which they repeatedly used, and I am convinced that 
it did much good. During those moments of silent 
prayer, the house was so still that you could have 
heard a pin drop; yes, you could almost have heard 
your heart beat. 

10. Let us enter into the spirit of the meeting- 
Sing " with grace in your heart to the Lord." Each 
prayer becomes our own if we follow it understand- 
ingly, and add to it a silent or audible " amen." 

11. Do not wander from the topic, and begin a 
rehash of what you have said before a dozen times or 
so. A new topic each week admits of new thought, 
illustration and experience. 

12. Have you no written requests for special 
piayer to bring to the prayer-meeting? If you have, 
hand these to the pastor, before the meeting. " If 
you have a special object of desire, ask others to join 
with you in seeking it. i If two of you shall agree.' 



194 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

Ask for something; give thanks for something; have 
a point in your prayer." 

13. And when you receive the answer to your 
prayer, do not fail to speak of it, for this encourages 
others to pray, and confirms their faith. 

14. Is it proper to cultivate the spirit of friendli- 
ness ? If you are early and notice strangers, seek an 
introduction, or introduce yourself, and speak to them 
in words of welcome. Cannot you spend a few min- 
utes after the close of the meeting for hand-shaking 
and the exchange of greetings with your friends and 
neighbors ? Shake hands with as many as possible, 
and in every proper way cultivate the spirit of socia- 
bility. Why are you in such a hurry to go home 
from the prayer-meeting ? Why cannot you spend 
several minutes in conversation about the topic, and 
in suggesting plans for work and greater usefulness ! 
Would not such friendliness as this make the meetings 
social and delightful, and create the feeling that "it is 
good for us to be here ? " It will be easy for you to 
speak a friendly word for Jesus now while the warmth 
of the meeting is upon you. 

15. Let the opening remarks strike the key-note 
to the meeting. " Anybody can speak or pray 
when a meeting has become lively, interesting and 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 95 

warm. Blessed is the man who dares to take hold of 
the cold end of a prayer-meeting. " 

16. Would it not, in case no other method has 
been adopted, add to the interest and profit, if the 
members during the continuation of the year would 
each select a dozen topics with three or more proof 
texts from Scripture such as are related to the wants, 
trials, and experiences of daily life — and then hand 
them to the pastor towards the end of the year? 
From these " themes from the pew, " he would be 
able to pick out the right kind of topics for the wants 
of his people during the coming year : and certainly 
the people themselves would be bound to take an in- 
terest in topics of their own choosing. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Daily Prayer-Meeting Topics for 1878. 

A very efficient aid for the improvement of the 
prayer-meeting, will be the selection of suitable top- 
ics. Accordingly we have introduced a number of 
lists which may serve as guides and hints in the selec- 
tion at the outset. The entire number, with the list 
that follows, will include 572 subjects, or enough to 
supply a prayer-meeting for 1 1 years ; and these sub- 
jects are as good for one year as for another. Or, if 
they are not used in this way, the study of these with 
their proof texts from the Scripture, will guide an in- 
dividual church in the preparation of such topics as 
their special wants may demand. This list was pre- 
pared for the year 1878, by the Executive Committee 
of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the 
United States and the British Provinces. 

TOPICS. 



January. 

1. Christ the Foundation. 1 Cor. 3 : 9-16. 

2. The Three Musts. John 3 : 7, 14; Acts 4 : 12. 

3. The First Commandment. Ex. 20 : 3 ; Isa. 43 : 10-15.. 

4. The Stilling of the Tempest. Mark 4 : .35~4i- 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 97 

5. Sunday-School Lesson. Rehoboam, First King of Judah: 
2 Chron 12: 1-12; Golden Text: When he humbled 
himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him. Verse 12. 

7. Prayer. Prayer and Praise. Remembrance of personal and 

relative mercies ; prayer for the divine blessing on past 
privileges, and for a humble and contrite spirit. Phil. 4 : 
6, 7 ; 1 Thess. 5 : 17, 18. 

8. Prayer, For the Church of Christ in all Lands : for its 

deliverance from error ; for its increase in faith and holi- 
ness, and in power as a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ ; 
for the grace and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Ps. 122. 

9. Prayer. For Christian Families : for sick and afflicted mem- 

bers ; for children at school, and for all youth in our col- 
leges and seminaries of learning ; for young men entering 
upon the active business of life, and for those abroad; 
for sons and daughters openly confessing Christ. Ps. 128. 

10. Prayer. For Nations : for rulers, magistrates and statesmen ; 

for the army and navy ; for all benevolent and philan- 
thropic institutions ; for religious liberty and the opening 
of doors *' wide and effectual" for publishing the Gospel ; 
and for the reign of righteousness and peace. 1 Tim. 2 ; 
Isa. 1-8 35 : 1, 2. 

11. Prayer. For Christian Missions to the Jews and Gentiles : for 

Sunday-schools, and for the divine blessing on all Chris- 
tian efforts to spread the glad tidings of the Gospel of 
Salvation. Matt. 28 : 18-20 ; Isa. 52 : 7-10. 

12. Prayer. For the Circulation of the Bible: for the observance 

of the Sabbath ; for the removal of intemperance ; for the 
rescue of the fallen ; for the safety of those who travel by 
land and by water. Acts 7 : 38 ; Eze. 10 : 12-20 ; Luke 
4: 18, 19. 
Sunday-School Lesson. Asa Faithful to his God. 2 Chron. 
14 : i-ii ; Golden Text : Lord it is nothing with thee to 
help, whether with many, or with them that have no 
power. Verse 11. 

14. Working and Watching. Neh. 4:1-11. 

15. The Way of Life or of Death — Which? Josh. 24:13 

I Kings 18 : 21. 

16. Is the Young Man Safe? 2 Sam. 18 : 29-33. 

17. The Sower. Luke 8: 5-8, 11-15. 

18. God's Delight in Saving Sinners. Eze. 33 : II ; Eph. 2 : 4-8. 

19. Sunday-School Lesson. The Covenant Renewed. 2 Chron. 

8-15 ; Golden Text: Be ye strong, therefore, and let not 
your hands be weak : for your work shall be rewarded. 
Verse 7. 



198 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 



21. a Our Father, which art in heaven." Acts 17 : 22-31 ; GaL 

4:4-7. 

22. The Gain of the Hypocrite. Job 27 : 8-10 ; Matt. 23 : 13. 

23. " Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not." 

Matt. 20: 20-28 ; Mark 9:33-37. 

24. Day of Prayer for Young Men in Colleges. Prov. 3 : 1-7. 

25. *' Come out of the man thou unclean spirit." Mark 5 : 1-2.0 ; 

26. Sunday-School Lesson. Jehoshaphat's Prosperity. 2 Chron. 

17 : 1-10 ; Golden Text: And they taught in Judah, and 
had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and 
went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught 
the people. Verse 9. 

28. The Inspiration of the Bible. 2 Tim. 3:14-17; 2 Pet. I : 

20, 21 ; 2 Sam. 23 : 1-3. 

29. Whither art thou going — to Nineveh or Tarshish ? Jonah I. 

30. Two Fearless Young Men. Num. 14: 2-10; 32: 10-12. 

31. The Tenderness of God. Deut. 32 : 10-14. 

February. 

1. Promise Meeting. 2 Cor. 1 : 20. To the Sinner — John 6 : 37. 

To the Backslider — Jer. 3 : 22. To the Believer — Isa. 
42 : 10, 13 ; Rev. 21 : 4. 

2. Sunday-School Lesson. Jehoshaphat Reproved. -2 Chron. 19: 

1-9 ; Golden Text : There is no iniquity with the Lord 
our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. 
Verse 7. 

4. Self-Examination. 2 Cor. 13:5: Psa. 77 : 6 ; 2 Cor. 1-12. 

5. " What wilt thou say when He shall punish thee ? " Prov. 

11 : 21 ; Nahum 1 : 2-8 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 10, 11 ; Lam. 3 : 39 ; 
Matt. 22 : 11, 12 ; Eccl. 8 : 11. 

6. The Lord Looketh on the Heart. 1 Sam. 16 : 6, 7. 

7. The Second Commandment. Ex. 20:4-6; Col. 3: 1-5. 

8. The Dead Brought to Life. Mark 5 : 22-24, 35~43- 

9. Sunday-School Lesson. Jehoshaphat Helped of God. 2 Chron. 

20:14-22; Golden Text: Believe in the Lord your God, 
so shall ye be established ; believe his prophets, so shall 
ye prosper. Verse 20. 

11. "What think ye of Christ?" Matt. 22:42; Isa. 53 : 2 ; 

John 6 : 42 ; 3:2; Mark 8 : 29 ; John 20 : 28 ; 1 Pet. 2:7; 
Psa. 73: 25. 

12. Opportunities Neglected. Acts 24 : 24-27 ; 26 : 28. 

13. A Promising Youn^ Man, and how he Faded. 1 Sam. 9:2; 

10 : 6, 7 ; 2S : 16-19. . 

14. Salvation in Christ alone. Acts 4:12 ; Isa. 45 : 10. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 1 99 

15. The Unending Misery of the Lost, and the Everlasting Joy of 

the Redeemed. Mark 9 : 42-4S ; Isa. 35 : 10. 

16. Sunday-School Lesson. Joash Repairing the Temple. 2 Chron. 

24: 4-13 ; Golden Text: Joash was minded to repair the 
house of the Lord. Verse 4. 

18. " Hallowed be Thy name." Psa. 113 : 1-3 ; Mai. I : II. 

19. Salvaticn as a Gift. Rom. 6 : 23 ; 1 John 5 : II. 

20. Love Not the World. Eccl. 2 : 1-11. 

21. Sins of Thought Offensive to God. Gen. 6 : 5-7 ; 1 John 3 : 15. 
22.' Integrity in Civil Magistrates insisted on. Ex. 18:21; 

Neh. 5:15. 
23, Sunday-School Lesson. Uzziah's Pride Punished. 2 Chron. 
26:16-23; Golden Text; Pride goeth before destruc- 
tion, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Prov. 16: 18. 

25. The Bible in the Public Meeting. Deut. 31 : 10-13; Neh. 8 : 

i-S. 

26. ,c After this the judgment." Acts 17 : 32 ; Heb. 9 : 27 ; Luke 

12:5. 

27. A Young Man who made the right choice. Heb. 11 : 24-27 ; 

Deut. 34 : 10-12. 

28. "While they are yet speaking, I will hear." Dan. 9 : 21-23 ;. 

Acts 12 : 5-10 ; 4:31; Luke 23 : 42, 43. 

March. 

1. The Cleansing of the Leper. Mark 1 : 40-45. 

2. Sunday-School Lesson. iVhaz' Persistent Wickedness. 2 Chron. 

23 : 19-27 ; Golden Text: And in the time of his distress 
did he trespass yet more against the Lord : this is that 
King Ahaz. Verse 22. 

4. Sound Doctrine Enjoined. 2 Tim. 4:1-4; 1 Tim. 4:16; 

John 7: 17. 

5. Christ the Way. John 14 : 6 ; Heb. 10: 19-23. 

6. Ash Wednesday. u Rend your heart, and not your garment's." 

Joel 2 : 12-19 , Psa. 51 : 17. 

7. The Third Commandment. Ex. 29 : 7 ; Matt. 5: 33-37. 

8. Chfkt's Tenderness to the Fallen. Luke 7 : 36-50. 

9. Sunday-School Lesson. Hezekiah's Good Reign. 2 Chron. 

29: 1-11; Golden Text: And in every work that he 
began ... he did it with all his heart and prospered- 
2 Chron. 31 : 21. 

11. Brotherlv Love. 1 John 4: 11-21. 

12. I am Guilty and Need Pardon. Rom. 3 : 23-26. 

13. Blessedness of the Man who Delights in the Word. Psa. 1: 

1-3 ; James 1:25. 



200 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 



14. The Draw-net. Matt. 13 : 47-50. 

15. The Healing of the Centurion's Servant. Luke 7 : 1-10. 

16. Sunday-School Lesson. Hezekiah and the Assyrians. 2 

Chron. 32: g-21 ; Golden Text : With him is an arm of 
flesh ; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us, and to 
fight our battles. Verse 8. 

18. u Thy kingdom come." Psa. 2 ; Rev. 11 : 15-17. 

19. Christ the Truth. 1 John 5 : 20 ; John 17 : 3. 

20. The Good Fight. 1 Tim. 6: 12; 2 Tim. 4: 7, 8. 

21. Confession called out. Mark 5 : 25-34. 

22. State of the Unsaved. Dead — Eph. 2 : 1. Lost — Luke 19 : 

10. Condemned — John 3: 19. Children of Wrath — 
Eph. 2 : 3. Without God — Eph. 2:12. 

23. Sunday-School Lesson. Manasseh Brought to Repentance. 

2 Chron. 33 : 9-16 ; Golden Text : A^ many as I love, I 
rebuke and chasten : be zealous, therefore, and repent. 
Rev. 3 : 19. 

25. Christ our Substitute. John 1 : 29 ; Heb. 9: 28 ; Gal. 2 : 20 ; 

2 Cor. 5 : 21. 

26. National Disobedience. I Sam. 12 : 15 ; Jer. 12 : 17. 

27. Tampering with Sin. Judges 16 : 4-20. 

28. Duties of Employers. Col. 4:1; Eph. 6 : 9. 

29. The Man with the Unclean Spirit. Mark 1 : 23-27. 

,30. Sunday-School Lesson. Review of the Lessons for the 
Quarter. 

April. 

1. Forbearing grace. Luke 13: 6-9. 

2. Christ the Life. John 6 : 33-40. 

3. " None Righteous. " Rom. 3 : 10-18; Eccl. 7: 20. 

4. The Fourth Commandment. Ex.20: 8-1 1; Jer. 17 : 19-27. 

5. Is God Ready to Pardon 'Me Now? Psa. 86: 5; Isa. 1: 

18-20 ; 2 Cor. 6 : 2. 

6. Sunday-School Lesson. Josiah's Early Piety. 2 Chron. 34 : 

1-8; Golden Text: Remember now thy Creator in the 
days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the 
years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure 
in them. Eccl. 12 : 1. 

8. Power of the Prayer of Faith. Josh. 10 : 12, 13 ; James 5 : 

16-18 ; 1 John 5: 14, is- 

9. The New Heart. Eze. 36 : 26 ; Acts 15:9. 

10. A Young Man who Found Favor with God and Man. Gen. 

41 : 12, 13, 3 8 -45- 

11. Duties of the Employed. Col. 3 : 22—25 ; Titus 2 : 9, 10. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 201 



12. " Wilt thou be made whole ? " John 5 : 1-16. 

13. Sunday-School Lesson. The Scriptures Found and Searched. 

2 Chron. 34: 14-22 ; Golden Text, John 5 : 39. 

15. " Thy will be done." Matt. 7 : 21 ; Rom. 2 : 13. 

16. What to Lay Oft, and What to Put On. Col. 3 : 8-15. 

17. How can a Man be Born Again ? By Believing — 1 John 5:1. 

By Receiving — John 1 : 12, 13. By the Spirit — Titus 3 : 5. 
By the Word of God — James 1 : 18. 

18. "Cast the net on the right side." John 21 : 1-13. 

19. Good Friday. Isa. 52 : 13-15 ; 53 : 1-12. 

20. Sunday-School Lesson. Jeremiah in Prison. Jer. 33 : 1-9 ; 

Golden Text, verse 3. 

22. Easter Monday. Matt. 28 : 1-20. 

23. The Sinner's Wealth Rom. 2 : 5-9. 

24. One who Trusted in Something Better than his Own Good 

\yorks. Phil. 3:4-11. 

25. The Unmerciful Servant. Matt. 18 : 21-35. 

26. " Lord, save me." Matt. 14 : 22-33. 

27. Sunday-School Lesson. The Rechabites. Jer. 35:12-19; 

Golden Text, verse 13. 

29. k ' God is our refuge." Psa. 46. 

30. The Wicked Husbandmen. Mark 12 : 1-12. 

May. 

1. A Personal Saviour. Phil. 3. 10; 2 Tim. 1:12. 

2. The Believer's Home. Rev. 21 : 25 ; 3 : 12; Psa. 17 : 15. 

3. The Compassion of Jesus. Matt. 9 : 35-38. 

4. Sunday-School Lesson. The Captivity of Judah. Jer. 52 : 

i-it ; Golden Text, Lam. 1 : 8. 

6. •' Now." Luke 14 : 17 ; 2 Cor. 6:2; Rom. 3 : 1 ; 1 John 3 : 2. 

7. I am a Rebel, and need to be Restored to the Divine Favor. 

Rom. 3 : 10-12 ; Isa. 53 : 6. 

5. A Young Man who Despised the Promises of God. Gen. 25 : 

27-34 i Heb. 12 : 16, 17. 
9. Laborers in the Vineyard. Matt. 20: 1-16. 
10. The Woman Loosed from her Infirmity. Luke 13 : 10-17 ; 

Psa. 145 : 14. 
ir. Sunday-School Lesson. The Captives in Babylon. Dan. 1 : 

8-17 ; Golden Text, Psa. in : 10. 

13. The Testimony of the Man Born Blind. John 9. 

14. Choose. Deut. 30:15-19. 

15. We Must Forsake our Sins. Isa. 55:7; Eze. i3 : 30-32. 

16. The Ten Virgins. Matt. 25 : 1-13. 

17. Able to Keep. Psa. 121; Jude 24. 

18. Sunday-School Lesson. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. Dan. 

2 : 3°~45 ! Golden Text, verse 28. 
14 



202 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

20. Searching the Scriptures. John 5 : 38-40 ; Acts 17 : 11, 12. 

21. God as a Suppliant. Hosea 11 : 1-9 ; Isa. 65 : 2. 

22. Christ an Example of Humility. John 13 : 1-15. 

23. Unbelief. Psa. 78:17-22; 1 John 5 : 10, 11. 

24. The Withered Hand Restored. Luke 6: 6-11. 

25. Sunday-School Lesson. The Fiery Furnace. Dan. 3 : 21-27. 

Golden Text, verse 17. 

27. Christ Coming for His Saints. John 14: 1-3; 1 Cor. 15 ; 

51-54 ; 1 Thess. 4 : 13-18. 

28. " But they made light of it." Luke 14 : 15-24. 

29. The Prizes of Christian Warfare. Rev. 3 : 5, 12, 21. 

30. Ascension Day. Luke 24 : 46-53. 

31. Encouraging Promises. Matt. 9:29; Rom. 10:9; Matt. 

10 : 22 ; James 1:12. 

June. 

1. Sunday-School Lesson. The Handwriting on the Wall, 
Dan. 5 : 22-31 ; Golden Text : Thou art weighed in the 
balances, and art found wanting. Verse 27. 

3. Self-Denial. Gen. 12 : 1-5 ; Heb. 11 : 8-10. 

4. How shall the Sinner Escape ? Heb. 2:311 Pet. 4 : 18. 

5. Evil Thoughts — How can I be delivered from them ? Matt. 

15 : 19, 20 ; 2 Cor. 10 ; 5. 

6. The Fifth Commandment. Ex. 20 : 12 ; Luke 2:51. 

7. Self-purification Impossible. Jer. 2 : 22 ; 13 : 23 ; Prov. 20 : 9. 

8. Sunday-School Lesson. Daniel in the Lions' Den. . Dan. 6 : 

14-23 ; Golden Text : My God hath sent his angel, and 
hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me. 
Verse 22. 

10. What Christ Does for the Believer. He Dies for Me — John 

10 : 11. He Seeks Me— Eze. 34 : 11. He Gives Me Rest 
— Psa. 23 : 2 (first clause). He Knows Me — John 10 : 27. 
He Leads Me — Psa. 23 : 2 (last clause). He Carries Me. 
Isa. 40:11. He Feeds Me — John 21:15. He Heals 
Me — Eze. 34 : 16. He Makes Me a Blessing— Eze. 34 : 26. 
He Comes for Me — John 14 : 3. 

11. Seek ye the Lord. Amos 5 : 4-8; 

12. The Temple of God. 2 Cor. 6 : 16 ; 1 Cor. 3 : 16, 17. 

13. " Where are the nine ? " Luke 17 : 11-19. 

14. The Sinner Invited. Matt. 11 : 28-30 ; John 6 : 37. 

15. Sunday-School Lesson. Messiah's Kingkom. Dan. 7:9-14; 

Golden Text : Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ; 
the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Psa. 45 : 6. 

17. The Word a Light. Psa. 119 : 105, 130 ; Prov. 6 : 23. 

18. A Promise Given, and a Choice Required. Jer. 29: 13 ; Matt. 

6 : 24. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 203 

ig. On What are You Building ? Matt. 7 : 24-29. 

20. Fruitfulness. John 15 : 1-5. 

21. " If thou canst believe." Mark 9 : 14-29. 

22. Sunday-School Lesson. The Decree of Cyrus. 2 Chron. 36 : 

22-23 » Golden Text : Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, 
and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that 
her iniquity is pardoned. Isa. 40 : 2. 

24. " Give us this day our daily bread." Prov. 30 : 8, 9 ; Ps. 34 : 10. 

25. An Important Question Answered. Psa. 15. 

26. My Besetting Sin — How can I get Strength to Overcome it ? 

Heb. 12: 1-4 ; 1 Cor. 9: 27. 

27. The Christian in the World. Matt. 5 : 13-16. 

23. Decision Necessary to the Service of God. 2 Chron. 15 : 12 ; 

Luke 9 : 62. 
29. Sunday-School Lesson. Review of the Lessons for the Quarter. 

July. 

1. The Work of the Spirit. 1 Cor. 2 : 9-16 ; Rom. 8 : 14-17. 

2. Where is thy Brother ? Gen. 4:9; Eze. 33 : 8-9. 

3. What Christ says to Every Unconverted Young Man. Luke 

7 : 11-16. 

4. God's Children Free. John 8 : 31-36. 

5. The Raising of Lazarus. John 11 : 1-45. 

6. Sunday-School Lesson. Birth of Christ the Lord. Luke 2 : 

8-20 ; Golden Text : For unto you is born this day, in 
the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 
Verse 11. 

8. Christ Coming with His Saints. 2 Thess. 1 : 7-10; Col. 3:4; 

Jude 14, 15. 

9. ;i Wait on the Lord." Lam. 3 : 25, 26 ; Isa. 40 : 28-31. 

10. Invitations Refused. Luke 14: 15-24; Prov. 1 : 24-28. 

11. " Give ye them to eat." Luke 9 : 12-17 ; John 21 : 15-17. 

12. Christ's Willingness to Receive Sinners. Luke 15:2; John 

6 : 37 ; Luke 9:11. 

13. Sunday-School Lesson. The Childhood of Jesus. Luke 2 : 

10-52 ; Golden Text, verse 52. 

15. Christ is Able To: Perform all he Promises — Rom. 4: 21. 

Save to the Uttermost — Heb 7 : 25. Make Stand — Rom. 
14 : 4. Keep from Falling — Jude 24. Keep what is 
Committed to Him — 2 Tim. 1 : 12. Succor the Tempted. 
— Heb. 2: 18. Make all Grace Abound — 2 Cor. 9: 8. 
Do Exceeding Abundantly — Eph. 3 : 20. 

16. "All that believe are justified." Acts 13:38, 39; Gal. 2: 16; 

Rom. 4 : 5. 

17. Seeking the Lost. Luke 19: 1-10. 

18. The Sixth Commandment. Ex. 20 : 13 ; Matt. 5 : 21, 22. 



204 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

19. " Have mercy on me." Mark 10 : 46-52. 

20. Sunday-School Lesson. Ministry of John the Baptist. Luke 

3 : 15-22 ; Golden Text, Luke 1 : 15, 

22. The Word Made Plain. Psa. ng: 18 ; Eph. 1 : 17-23. 

23. Good News — Poor Men Made Rich. Isa. 55:1-3; Rev. 21:7. 

24. In What Men should Glory. Jer. 9: 23, 24; Gal. 6: 14. 

25. The Law of Growth in the Kingdom of God. Mark 4: 

26-29; 2 P et - 3 : 18. 

26. Invitation to All. Rev. 22 : 17 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 20, 21 ; 6:1, 2. 

27. Sunday-School Lesson. Jesus at Nazareth. Luke 4: 16-30; 

Golden Text, verse 32. 

29. The Lord our Helper. Psa. 20; Deut. 31 : 6-8. 

30. i4 Learn of me." Matt. 11 : 29. 

31. Evil Effects of Bad Company. Gen. 13: 12, 13 ; 19: 1, 12-28. 

August. 

1. " Humbleness of mind." Col. 3:12-14. ■ 

2. The Healing of One Deaf and Dumb. Mark 7 : 31-37. 

3. Sunday-School Lesson. The Draught of Fishes. 'Luke 5 : 1-11 

Golden Text, verse 11. 

5. The Weapon of Our Warfare. Eph. 6: 17. Heb. 4:12: 

Jer. 23 : 29. 

6. The Rich Fool. Luke 12: i6-2t. 

7. An Ambitious Young Man and his Untimely End. 2 Sam. 

15; 1-5, >3» 14; 18: 6-15. 

8. The Seventh Commandment. Ex.20: 14; Eph. 5 : 3-7. 

9. Victory over the Devil. Gen. 3: 15; Matt. 4: i-ii; J John 

2:14. 
10. Sunday-School Lesson. The Centurion's Faith. Luke 7 : 
1-10 ; Golden Text : According to your faith be it unto 
you. Matt. 9 : 29. 

12. Despising the Word. Heb. 2 : 1-3 ; Prov. 13 : 13. 

13. Two Companies and Two Ends. Matt. 7: 13, 14; Ex. 23; 

2; Heb. 12: 22-24; Luke 16: 22, 23. 

14. What it is to know Christ. John 17 : 3; Phil. 3 : 7-1 1. 

15. Hearing God's Call. 1 Sam. 3 : 1-10. 

16. " He will abundantly pardon." Isa. 55: 7; Neh. 9: 16, 17. 

17. Sunday-School Lesson. The Widow of Nain. Luke 7 : 

11-17; Golden Text: And when the Lord saw her, He 
had compassion on her, and said unto her, weep not. 
Verse 13. 

19. Christ Coming in Judgment. Matt. 25 : 31-46. 

20. " Escape for thy life." Gen. 19 : 15-17. 

21. Young Men — their Rule for Right Living. Psa. 119:9; 

Josh. 1 : 8. 

22. Duties of Parents to Children. Eph. 6:4; Deut. 6 : 6-9. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 205 

23. The Great Change. Zech. 3 : 1-7. 

24. Sunday-School Lesson. The Friend of Sinners. Luke 7 : 

40-50; Golden Text : Luke 15:2. 

26. Seven Results of Abiding in Christ. Fruit, Answered Prayer, 

Love, Obedience, Jov, Fellowship, Service. John 15: 

5-16. 

27. The Lost Piece of Money. Luke 15 : r, 2, 8-10. 

28. Individual Responsibility. 2 Cor. 5 : 10; Rom. 14: 10-12. 

29. The Waiting Lord. Rev. *> :• 20 ; Song of Sol., 5 : 2. 

30. Christ Lives in the Believer. Gal. 2 : 20 ; Eph. 3 : 14-21. 

31. Sunday-School Lesson. Return of the Seventy. Luke 10 : 

17-24 ; Golden Text, verse 23. 

September. 

2. " He opened to us the Scriptures." Luke 24 : 13-32. 

3. The Way Out of the Ditch. Jer. 3 : 12 13; Hosea 14 : 1-4. 

4. " Your Sins will Find You Out." Num. 32 : 23 ; Gen. 44 : 

16-34. 

5. The Eighth Commandment. Ex. 20 : 15 ; Lev. 19 : 11-13. 

6. Christ's Help in Temptation. Heb. 2 : 18; 2 Cor. 12 : 9. 

7. Sunday-School Lesson. The Good Samaritan. Luke 10 : 

30-37. Golden Text : Gal. 5 : 14. 
9. " Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Mark 11 : 
25 ; 18 : 21, 22. 

10. Idleness. Prov. 24 : 30-34. 

11. An Exhortation to a Young Man. 1 Tim. 4 : 12-16. 

12. Love the Impulse to Labor. John 21 : 15-17 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 

14. IS- 

13. Invitation to the Thirsty. Isa. 55 : 1-9. 

14. Sunday-School Lesson. Importunity in Prayer. Luke 11 : 

5-13 ; Golden Text : Luke 18 : 1. 

16. God the Deliverer of His People. Ex. 14: 10-31. 

17. The Sinner's Condemnation. John 3 : 17-21. 

18. A Zeal for Christ which consumes Self. Luke 9 : 23 ; 2 Cor. 

5 : 14, 15 ; 1 Thess. 2 : 8. 

19. The Aged — Prayer and Promise. Prov. 16:31; Psa. 71 : 

1-19 ; Isa. 46 14. 

20. " Do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10 : 31-33; Rom. 15:3. 

21. Sunday-School Lesson. Warning against Covetousness. Luke 

12 : 13-23 ; Golden Text, verse 15. 

23. Indwelling and Comfort of the Holy Spirit. John 20 : 22 ; 

Acts 2 : 4 ; John 16:7-13. 

24. Christ's Misrion. 1 Tim. 1: 15. 

25. True to God, regardless of Consequences. Dan. 3 : 13-30. 

26. Neglect of the Poor a Neglect of Christ. Matt. 25 : 42-45 ; 

Mark 9 : 41. 



206 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 

27. Nothing too Hard for God. Jer. 32 : 17 ; Psa. 130 : 1-5. 

28. Sunday-School Lesson. Review of the Lessons for the Quarter. 
30. God's Word in Us. Col. 3 : 16 ; Psa. 119 : 11 ; Jer. 20 : 9. 

October. 

1. Too Late. Luke 19 : 41-44; Heb. 3:17-19. 

2. Wisdom. Prov. 2:1-9; James 1 : 5. 

3. The Ninth Commandment. Ex. 20 : 16 ; Psa. 15: 1-4. 

4. Sowing and Reaping. Gal. 6:7, 8. 

5. Sunday-School Lesson. Warning against Formalism. Luke 

13 : 22-30 ; Golden Text, verse 24. 
7. Tokens of Our Love to God. John 14 : 21-23 ; 1 John 2:15. 
S. Jabez' Prayer. 1 Chron. 4 : 9, 10. 
9. A Young Man who Sought only this World's Joys. Luke 

15: 11-24. 

10. The Question Every Man must Answer. Matt. 27 : 22. 

11. The Saviour we need Offered. Rom. 3 : 10-26. 

12. Sunday-School Lesson. The Gospel Fdst. Luke 14: 15-24 ; 

Golden Text, verse 15. 

14. Things we Know. Rom. 7 : 18 ; 2 Tim. 1:12; 1 John 5 : 13 ; 

Rom. 8 : 28. 

15. Safe Voyage, if Christ is on Board. Mark 4 : 35-41. 

16. Whole-hearted for Christ. Luke 9 : 57-62. 

17. " At Thy word I will let down the net." Luke 5 : I-II. 

18. Exhortation to Watchfulness. 1 Thess. 5 : 6-8. 

19. Sunday-School Lesson. The Prodigal Son. Luke 15 : 11-24; 

Golden Text : Psa. 40 : 17. 

21. " Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Jas. 

1 : 13-15 ; 1 Cor. 10 : 13 ; 2 Pet. 2:952 Tim. 4 : 18. 

22. The Two Future States. Luke 16 : 19-31. 

23. How a Young Man made his Life Successful. x\cts 7 : 57-59 ; 

26 : 9-23 ; 2 Cor. 5 : 13, 14. 

24. The Pharisee and the Publican. Luke 18 : 9-14. 

25. " The Lamb of God." John 1 : 29 ; Rev„ 5 : 12, 13 ; 6: 15-17. 

26. Sunday-School Lesson. The Rich Man and Lazarus. Luke 

16 : 19-31 ; Golden Text : Prov, 14 : 32. 

28. Teaching and Keeping God's Word. Deut. 11 : 18-25. 

29. The Call to the Backslider. Jer. 2:5, 13, 19 ; 3 : 12-14. 

30. Ruined by Evil Company. 2 Chron. 10 : 1-14 ; 12 : 14-16. 

31. 'Profession without Fruit an Offence. Mark 11:12-14; John 

15. '2. 

November. 

1. The Wanderer's Cry. Psa. 51. 

2. Sunday-School Lesson. The Ten Lepers. Luke 17 : 11-19 ; 

Golden Text, verse 17. 



THE PRAYER-MEETING. 207 

4. Promise Meeting. 2 Pet. 1:4; Matt. 28 : 20 ; Acts 1:8; 

John 14 : 3. 

5. Who are Haters of God? John 15 : 17-25 ; Rom. 8:7, 8. 

6. A Young Man's Wise Choice. 1 Kings 3 : 5-14. 

7. The Tenth Commandment. Ex. 20 : 17 ; Heb. 13 : 5. 

8. " We will hear thee ugain." Acts 17 : 32 ; Prov. 27 : 1. 

9. Sunday-School Lesson. Whom the Lord Receives. Luke 

18 : 9-17 ; Golden Text, verse 17. 

11. Young Men — their Power for Evil. 1 Kings 11:28; 12: 

26-30 ; 13 : 33, 34 ; Acts 7 : 57-59 ; 8 : 1-3. 

12. Young Men — their Power for Good. Prov. 20 : 29 ; 1 John 2 : 

13, 14; Eph. 6 : 10, 11. 

13. Something Stronger than the Strength of Young Men. Isa. 

40 : 28-31. 

14. How to Reach Young Men. John 1 : 35-46. 

15. Young Men — their Special Temptations. Eccl. 11:9, 10; 

2 Tim. 2 : 22. 

16. The Pattern for Young Men. Luke 2 : 42-52 ; Acts 10 : 38-43, 
Sunday-School Lesson. Zaccheus, the Publican. Luke 19 : 

1-10; Golden Text, verse 10. 

18. Baptism of the Spirit for Service. Acts 1:8; 2:4; 4:31. 

19. When do men cry unto the Lord ? Psa. 107 : 5, 6, 12, 13, 18. 

19, 27, 28. 

20. A Life Well Begun. 2 Chron. 34 : 1-8, 29-33. 

21. The Lesson of Patience. James 5 : 7-1 1. 

22. Invitation and Warning, Isa. 1:18; Prov. 1 : 24-33. 

23. Sunday-School Lesson. Judaism Overthrown. Luke 21 : 8-21 ; 

Golden Text: Luke 19:41. 

25. Profit in Using the Word. 2 Tim. 3 : 12-16; Isa. 55 : 10, 11. 

26. Repentance. Matt. 9 : 13 ; Eze. 18: 32; Acts 5: 31. 

27. A Young Man in whom the World found no fault, except his 

Religion. Dan. 6: 1-5, 25-28; Phil. 2 : 15. 

28. "The Sacrifice of Praise." Psa. 148; Rev. 7: I] ; Heb. 

13 : 15, 16. 

29. Halting Between Two Opinions. 1 Kings 18 : 21 ; Joshua 

24: 15. 

30. Sunday-School Lessons. The Lord's Supper. Luke 22 : 

10-20; Golden Text: 1 Cor. 11 : 26. 

December. 

2. The Imagination. Corrupt — Rom. 1 : 21 ; Deut. 29: 19, 20, 

Redeemed — Isa. 26 : 3 ; ("Mind," in margin "imagina- 
tion " or <4 thought "). Phil. 4 : 7. 

3. God our our Searcher. Psa. 139 : 23, 24 ; 1 Chron. 28 : 9. 



208 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 



4. Some Things Money Cannot Buy. Redemption — 1 Pet. 1 : 

18, 19. The Gift of the Spirit— Acts 8 : 18-23. The 
Heavenly Inheritance — 1 Pet. 3-5. 

5. The Pounds. Luke 19 : 11-27. 

6. I am a Slave to Sin and need to be Set Free. Heb. 2 : 14, 15 ; 

Phil. 2 : 7-9. 

7. Sunday-School Lesson. The Cross. Luke 23 : 33-46 ; Golden 

Text : Gal. 6 : 14. 
9. Justification Isa. 53 : 11; Rom. 8: 33; Rom. 5 : 8, 9. 

10. Grieve not the Holy Spirit. Gen. 6:3; 1 Thess. 5:19; Tsa. 

63 : 10. 

11. A Young Man's Foolish Choice. Mark 10 : 17 : 22. 

12. Idle Words. Matt. 12 : 36 ; Eph. 4 : 29-31. 

13. Joy over Deliverance. Acts 8 : 5-8. 

14. Sunday-School Lesson. The Walk to Emmaus. Luke 24 : 

13-32 ; Golden Text, verse 32. 

16. The Word "written that ye may believe." John 20:31; 

2 Tim. 3 : 15. 

17. A Sinner Awakened and Saved. Acts 16 : 22-34. 

18. Christ as a Pattern for Young Men. Phil. 2 : 5-16. 

19. Riches do not Satisfy. Eccl 5:10, 11; Psa. 49:11-13; 

1 Tim. 6 : 17-19. 

20. Help Cometh from God. Psa. 89 : 19 ; 142 : 4, 5. 

21. Sunday-School Lesson. The Saviour's Last Words. Luke 

24 : 44-53 ; Golden Text : Matt. 28 : 20. 

23. Christ the Fulfilment of Scripture. Matt.5 : 17 ; Luke 24: 27 ; 

Rev. 19: 10. 

24. Redemption. Gal. 4 : 4, 5 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 18, 19. 

25. Glad Tidings. Luke 2 : 1-20. 

26. " Think on these Things." Phil. 4:8, 9; Heb. 2 : 1. 

27. " Mighty to Save." Isa 63:1. 

28. Sunday-School LessOn. Review of the Lessons for the Quarter. 

30. '■' For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory." 

1 Chron. 29 : 10-13 i P sa - ° 2 : I1 '» ^ ev - 5 : I 3- 

31. How shall we Number Our Days and Years? Psa. 90 : 

12; Eccl. 9:10; Eph. 5:15-17. 



" Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the 
way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures ? ' ' (Luke 24 : 32.) 

" Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to pre' 
sent you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to 
the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and 
power, both now and forever. Amen.' 1 '' 



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